Scales and Flower Petals: Age of Heroes
by Aisenzwei
Summary: This is a story like any other. A fairytale that is no different than the rest. It may fade away in the passage of time. It may not be completed in time. It may not end in the way the writer originally hoped for. It may vanish like the thawing snow, forgotten by everyone and everything. Have you heard this story before? This is the tale of those who wished to set history in motion.
1. Chapter 1 - A Promise upon Winter Flower

The calendar on the wall indicated Divine Era Year 286, April 16.

A man entered a white room. His eyes scanned the dull white ceiling, walls, floors, and curtains. The windows were not blocked by the curtains, letting the light that was blinding enough to bask the outside world in pure white in. It was a warm welcome, after everything that had happened.

"Oh," said the occupant of the room."You took your sweet time there, honey."

The man paused. He inhaled through his nose, let slipped a small smile, and quietly laughed as he scratched his head.

"I'm sorry, Kanae," Ichiro said after sitting on an aluminum stool situated next to the bed.

"As long as you understand," Kanae replied, bobbing her head a bit. "Come here. Don't be too rowdy, though."

That would be hard, but it was doable for Ichirou. The man walked into the room with light steps, and the view his wife on the white hospital bed came into his sight. Dressed in a green hospital robe, her black hair with hints of a few golden strands was let down like a veil. At the same time, he noticed the slight wrinkles on his beloved wife's visage, and exhaustion was visible in her eyes and smile.

Even so, the mother remained awake with their precious child cradled in her arms.

"...How is he?" Ichirou asked, not knowing what else to say.

"He's fast asleep." Kanae's eyes narrowed in a smile. "...Would you like to hold him?"

Ichiro elicited a sound that faded away as soon as it was released. He looked down at his knees, sighed, and slowly nodded. When he received the full weight of the small life that had tried it's very best to be born into this world, Ichirou felt an indescribable weight and lightness he had never experienced in his life.

 _So small_ , the man thought. _So small and fragile, yet..._

It was his son. He had finally become a father. He was…

"I'm… I'm a parent, now…" Ichirou breathed out as heat ascended past his lungs, neck, and reached his cheeks. "We're finally… a family… now."

His vision blurred. His expression slackened. His breathing interval turned rough, and a voice that sounded like both a cry and a laugh leaked out from his throat. He knew the emotions he let loose.

Even so… he remembered.

He recalled the past. He recalled what he had heard, what he must face, and the future waiting for his family.

"Kanae, I…" Ichirou raised his head to meet his wife's gaze. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry..."

The woman's smile did not falter. Her expression remained gentle, and as she closed her eyes and hummed a wordless tune, a gentle spring breeze entered the hospital room.

"You've done what you could," Kanae eventually said. "You have no reason to apologize, Ichirou."

The mother referred to the father by his name. It made him realize that she was aware. That caused the man to bite his lips in frustration and curse himself for the path he had chosen.

"But I couldn't do anything," Ichirou spat out. "I couldn't talk back, I couldn't reject their demands… I couldn't do a single thing against those—"

"Ichirou. It's fine. You don't need to say anything more."

Acknowledging what the woman had said, the man stopped his babbling. However, it was more than a case of him falling silent.

He could do nothing else, not when his wife spoke out with such a calm and flat intonation. Despite that, his emotions could not be held in check completely.

"...Why?" Ichirou roughly inhaled. "Why does it have to be our son? Why does it have to be our child…? Even after all that you have gone through… why does it have to be…"

It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair at all, but Ichirou knew that there was nothing he or anyone else could do.

 _It couldn't be helped_ , those people said. _There's no other choice_ , the ones who demanded sacrifices answered; as if that excuse could solve everything.

The man heard the deep sound of his wife inhaling. He looked up, finding his wife looking at the flourishing cherry blossom outside of the hospital. It was an old tree that had been there before the two were even born. It felt as if the tree had been watching over those who entered and left the hospital for as long as it lived.

"...Look, Ichirou," said Kanae. "The flowers, they look so pretty."

Before the man could respond, the woman chuckled and heaved.

"They are so beautiful, yet fleeting." The mother looked back at the father, a gentle smile spreading across her serene face. "...Don't you think so too, Ichirou?"

With the cherry blossom tree unobstructed by the window and the flower petals dancing in the wind as the backdrop, Ichirou was caught in a daze.

He could only stare as the warm sunlight shone through the windows and veiled Kanae's figure.

"...Ichirou," Kanae called out. "Do you hate this world, after everything that we have come to know?"

The man looked back down. He chose to focus on their child, and after a short while, parted his lips to speak out his honest opinion.

"A world that condemns children to a tragic fate when they're born… how am I supposed to forgive it?" Ichirou breathed out. "...I can't, Kanae… I don't need that sort of world… I don't want a world that cannot bless our son with happiness…"

"...I see…" Kanae's voice trailed off. "But, I do not mind that sort of world."

The man raised his head. His widened eyes reflected the figure of his dearest one, and he was about to raise his voice when he recognized a nostalgic expression on her face. He took notice of her eyes narrowing gently, he felt the permeating soft smile with his eyes, mind, and heart, and he once again faced the woman who he proposed to after gathering up all of his courage many years ago.

"Yes," said the mother. "I do not mind at all. After all… we are all here. We are still alive."

Kanae raised her right hand. Her wrist was lean and her arm seemed to lack strength because of the energy she had spent to give birth. She was recovering, but every movement of hers required more effort than the usual. Even so… Kanae succeeded and placed her hand on her chest.

"As long as the two of you are with me... I can endure any hardship," said she. "I can overcome it all. I'm sure I can do it. Also… I have yet to see our son forge his own path to living in happiness."

Kanae inhaled. The woman met her husband in the eyes, and she uttered without stopping.

"In this kind of world, it might be futile to struggle." Kanae extended her right hand and reached out toward their son. "In a world that has already ended, there might be no reason or even merit for one to become a hero."

The woman added, "Even so". With words that carried a strong determination, it was as if Kanae accepted both the good and bad things of this wretched world Ichirou had come to despise. She accepted it all, and as she touched the forehead of her sleeping son…

"...Even so, I will still give him my blessing," Kanae whispered. "I will give him a place to return to. I will make sure to create a place that will always remind him of who he is. Even if he lost his path, even if he's all alone... he can still find his way back."

As Ichirou listened, he felt her gaze moving from the baby in his arms. He looked up and met his wife's earnest gaze head-on.

"...What will you gift our son on his journey, Ichirou?"

At her question, the man sucked in a lungful of air unconsciously.

He thought hard and questioned himself. He wondered what he could give, and as time passed by… the brown-haired and bespectacled man looked past the windows. His gaze fell upon the tree that continued to watch over the land surrounding it.

"...I…"

It was then.

It was then that a gear of fate began to move once more.

"I want…" Ichirou inhaled. "For a long time, what I want to give…"

That small gear was the beginning of everything. That small gear was like a hesitant step taken out of fear and courage. Uncertainty filled that step, doubts filled every move it took.  
 _  
Even still… if this world could grant another selfish wish..._

"...An ally," Ichirou answered. "I want to give him support. Even if everyone and everything in the world turns! against him… I want to give our son strength he can always rely on, a shoulder to lean on, a push that will encourage him to move forward, even if it's just a single step."

What he had sworn that day was…

"...I want to be that sort of adult." Ichiro smiled. "I want to be a father our son can be proud of."

It was an oath. An oath sworn as flower petals danced in the beginning of spring.

* * *

Do you know how it feels to wake up?

When you opened your eyes, your eyelids felt so heavy you want to close them again, but then you recalled something you needed to do. Like that, you have no other choice but to rub your eyes and greet the day despite wanting to sleep for a bit longer.

Such was the opinion of one Hyoudou Issei.

He snapped his eyes open, finding himself staring at his own reflection in the window showing the street and rows of buildings passing by. His cheek had grown cold due to pressing his head against the window. Witnessed how messy his brown hair had become, which might have something to do with him taking a nap, he realized he had been sleeping while riding on the bus back to his home.

"Why is this happening again…?" The brown-eyed boy complained as he brushed his hair with his right hand. "I even had a weird dream thanks to sleeping in…"

Issei looked around hurriedly. He hoped he didn't miss his stop. Fortunately, he didn't, but he was the last passenger.

 _Ugh, I must have been utterly exhausted if I didn't even notice other people moving around the bus…_

After checking if he had drooled or not, Issei got up and took his shoulder bag. It was heavy, not to mention full of things, but they were all training gear and documents that didn't have much importance for him. The boy walked toward the front part of the bus and glanced at the driver who called out to him.

"I've seen you falling asleep a lot," said the driver as he steered the public transportation slowly to the right. "Aren't you a high-schooler? Do you have a part-time job?"

Issei could sense the dialect forming a divergence of cultures. The boy smiled sheepishly, as he couldn't just go up and explain 'Yes, I'm working as a guardian deity of this country' to a person he barely knew of. Even if it was a joke, the Divine Era was an age where gods and demons had more presences in the world; you couldn't make fun of them when they might be standing next to you.

 _Then again, the girls I know don't even mind using Shinju as part of their joke materials._

"Something like that," Issei said after he felt the attention of the driver boring into him. "...Also, thank you for the hard work this year, too."

The driver blinked. He was a middle-aged man with broad shoulders and strong facial features, but a grateful smile permeated on his face. The man nodded without losing focus on the dark street illuminated only by the streetlights and the bus' headlights.

"This is my job, after all." The driver glanced at the panel hanging above the rear-view mirror, it displayed the words "Nakagyou Ward". "There you go. Try not to offend those in the area, alright? While the place has been acknowledged as safe for the public, there are many old Youkais living over there."

Scratching his head, Issei decided to nod and not comment any further. In all honesty, not even the Three Great Youkai of Japan would want to mess with a Heavenly Dragon empowered by the local Land Gods.

Probably. A lot of famous youkai were treated as pets by his friends, after all.

* * *

After he watched the bus leaving, Issei stretched his arms towards the sky and rolled his shoulders to relax some of his stiff muscles. He sighed as exhaustion began to catch up again.

"Still," Issei muttered as he looked past the white orbs floating down from the dark sky and at the gigantic structure with a peculiar shape. The form of Nijo Castle was expectedly exotic. "I hope no one is going to roast me again for returning so late."

Taking his sweet time to ponder how to secure his position in a better way, Issei decided to brave through the Great Northern Gate. He breathed out white air, snow had begun to pile on his unprotected head, and his deep red scarf fluttered as a particularly strong winter breeze blew through the gravel path connecting the main street and the northern gate.

Issei didn't mind that.

After all, the _fuyuzakura_ were all blooming. Red and white petals scattered in the winds, dancing to a chaotic rhythm that could not be interpreted by mortal means.

Issei looked past the foliages and gazed at the red circle in the sky. Unlike Shikoku, Kyoto seemed to prefer letting the real moon shines by lowering the density of the barrier at certain times. It was a risky move, but for the people of Kyoto, this was a tradition that had existed even after the Old Era ended.

 _But that's the home of Tsukuyomi, and it's glowing pure red now…_

Sometimes, Issei wondered if that was a good thing. In a few hours, three years would have passed since the Summer Defense Battle happened, but he couldn't stop thinking that time had become limited to an extreme degree.

It was probably because there were words about the Sentinel Project moving onto the next phase.

"Then again…" Issei raised his right hand. Coincidentally, a red winter cherry blossom petal landed on his palm, and he spilled a mouthful of white breath. "Everyone has been living on borrowed time…"

Issei shook his head to clear his thoughts. Resuming his walk, the boy's footsteps rang out as he walked through the gravel path. As soon as he reached the northern gate, he raised his head and nodded as if communicating with someone.

The thick wooden gates slowly opened with a soft groan.

Issei entered the castle's premise and was met with a garden lit by floating lanterns. They glowed with a dim orange radiance, and he detected a few shadows skittering around the premise. He also heard hushed whispers but since he knew that was just the nature of those kinds of things, the boy let it slide in favor of dropping his belonging in his room as fast as he could.

He passed through the Green Garden and took a few shortcuts to reach his living quarter at the Ninomaru Palace. The entire premise had been repurposed to suit Taisha's needs, so it had become a complex with a residential area, administrative area, and learning area meant for super important people.

At any rate, Issei reached the smallest traditional Japanese-style building situated beyond the Green Garden. He took off his shoes before hauling himself onto the porch, and he unlocked the sliding doors carefully.

He checked the source of light illuminating the interiors briefly. He was glad to know that the desk lamp was the reason. It was probably meant to express the message 'Please do not disturb', which was a job well done.

"I don't know who did this, but thanks for the save…"

Issei turned around to close the sliding doors—

"Oh, welcome back, Issei-san. You sure returned late."

Issei shrieked as he came face-to-face with a pale-skinned and black-haired girl in blue kimono.

* * *

"I-I thought I was going to die from shock…" Issei slowly exhaled while pressing his left hand on his chest.

He hoped that it could ease his rapidly beating heart, but it wasn't easy to calm down after he got caught off-guard like that. Issei heard Tougou's quiet giggles and glared at her. The girl responded by smiling apologetically.

"I'm sorry. I didn't expect you to be so surprised," Tougou said as she approached him. "How was work today?"

 _Agh… the status report already?_ Issei groaned, yet he didn't complain out loud. It wasn't like Tougou meant any harm, and he also had something to say about the stuff at Taisha.

"A lot protested about having to work till New Year's Eve." Issei rolled his shoulders and unzipped his jacket, taking it off before handing it to the girl in charge of laundry for the month. "But at least we will make it in time. The tuning of the ley lines will be finished, the Walls are in good condition, and there's not much friction between Taisha, Kyoto, Grigori, and the public. I think the next year will be relatively peaceful."

Issei recalled some regular troublemakers, but most of them were not difficult to handle. Even the freshly recruited Sentinels could handle them, and Mebuki put up a great display of teamwork which further boosted the overall security around Kyoto.

 _If only she can tone down her_ Mebuki-damashi _another notch, I'd have no problems letting the entire squad check the Outside anytime they want…_

"...Thank you for the hard work," said Tougou. "Do you want to take a bath before dinner?"

"I'll do just that." Issei nodded, paused, and then looked back at the smiling Yamato Nadeshiko. "...Say, Tougou-san? Why do I feel like this reminds me of something familiar…?"

Tougou tilted her head. It was a cute gesture and the swaying of her black hair was absolutely adorable, but Issei believed the main charms lied in her emerald gem-like eyes and her soft facial features. The girl had grown considerably in the past three years that it was difficult to not look at her without being attracted to her best characteristics.

 _How should I say it, I want to poke her cheek and tease her?_

Had he not worked his body so hard today, Issei would have done just that. It was unfortunate, really, but crime rates tended to rise at the end of the year.

 _Not to mention some Youkais get rowdy because of that…_

"Aah, I want to go on a vacation…"

"Oh, so the trips this year weren't enough to end your laziness?" Tougou rested her right hand on her cheek. "Even though you and Sonocchi always made a huge ruckus, especially at the sports festival…"

"W-Wait?! That time didn't count, Tougou-san!"

"Boys always say that."

 _"Hrrgk!?"_

Issei tried his best to do damage control, but in front of Tougou, it was difficult to completely mitigate the attack. There was no way he could possibly defeat her in a fair fight!

After he took a warm bath and purged the nasty feelings in his heart, Issei returned to his living quarters and discovered Tougou still there with the main lamp turned on.

He took a whiff of a scent that made his stomach grumble in yearning. Noticing the shin-height table at the center of the room with a few dishes placed on it, he realized that his classmate had brought dinner over to his place. It was reheated as well.

"Since the others have already fallen asleep a little before your arrival, I thought that you wouldn't want to disturb them," Tougou said.

"Uh, you didn't have to be so considerate..." Issei rubbed his head sheepishly and sighed. "Well, I won't deny that I'm totally starving. _Itadakimasu_."

Sitting across from Tougou, Issei began eating his late-night dinner. The rice had been left alone too long that even after it was reheated, the sweetness and stickiness had started to permeate. The grilled fishes were also burnt in some parts with the meat becoming harder to pick off. The miso soup was fortunately still salvageable, but the diced tofu had unfortunately lost its original texture.

After judging one of the dishes making up the set...

"The miso soup is milder, but there's a little bit of spice added," Issei paused. "Did Yuuna-chan improve again?"

Tougou applauded lightly. Bearing a pleased smile, the girl with lustrous jet-black hair nodded.

"Is it to your liking, Issei-san?" She asked.

"Of course it is," Issei replied immediately. "I'm happy that Yuuna-chan keeps improving her cooking skills, and since she gave it her all, it makes dinner even more enjoyable."

"You should thank her once she wakes up. I'm sure Yuuna-chan will be delighted."

 _Though I wonder if she's going to run away due to embarrassment again…_

"Well, I'll make sure to do that." Issei closed his eyes as he indulged in the simple yet fulfilling meal. "...But I'm pretty sure I haven't told her that I like my miso spicier. Did you help her, Tougou-san?"

When he reopened his eyes, he found Tougou staring blankly at him. As soon as they locked gazes, a red tint appeared on Tougou's milky white cheeks and the girl looked down at the table. She parted her rosebud lips a few times, but not a single syllable could be heard.

As a meaningful silence passed by, Tougou brushed off a lock of her black hair which was draped over her left shoulder.

"I'm… surprised you can tell, Issei-san."

Duh, why asking the obvious after all that we've been through?

"I've been living with you girls for an entire year now." Issei tilted his head and pulled his cheeks into a prideful grin. "I mean… it's kind of a letdown that none of us could go to the high-school we wanted, but we're all together again, and we're living under the same roof ever since we graduated from middle-school."

"...That's true," said Tougou, her smile growing soft and thin. "We have our Duty to consider, after all."

Issei wished he could deny that, but he couldn't say it out loud. At the very least, not in front of Tougou. The girl had a powerful sense of responsibility, and she divided official and personal matters very clearly. She was as stubborn as he was in that aspect, and unsurprisingly, it made him exasperate as he realized how difficult it was to convince such a numbskull.

 _Even though she doesn't have the obligation to serve Taisha and this country…_

Breathing out, Issei shook his thoughts off by resuming dinner. The sounds that existed in the room came only from him using the table utensils and eating.

Once he was finished, though—

"Thanks for the food," Issei said.

"You're welcome," Tougou replied as she began tidying up. "Then, I will take my leave, Issei-san."

Issei nodded and gave his thanks. In turn, Tougou smiled. The girl left with the dishes carried on a tray, but as he watched her receding back… Issei inhaled—

 _"...Mimori-chan."_

The girl halted her step. Rather than ignoring or even suddenly turning around, she stayed still for a moment before slowly but surely looked back at Issei.

"...I, well… good night," Issei said, looking away while he smiled sheepishly. "And, umm… Happy New Year."

The black-haired girl stared for a bit, chuckled with her empty hand held up to her lips, and nodded as her emerald eyes narrowed in a warm smile.

"Yes. I look forward to being with you again this year, _Ise-kun_."

Just like that, the girl gave her parting words and closed the sliding door leading to the inner part of the palace.

The only occupant of the room was left to his own thoughts. He looked up at the ceiling before he laid down on his back.

"Aah… this isn't good." Issei folded his arms beneath his head, a thin smile emerging on his face. "This is all so unbelievable that I feel like I don't deserve it at all…"

 _This is bliss_ , the youth thought. _This is what pure happiness is._

When he woke up, he would greet the day happily and attend breakfast with the people he loved. He would go out during the day, study at school and do club activity. Afterward, he would work hard to maintain the peace and safety of the world he cared for, then he would return home and be greeted by those who would welcome him with smiles that warmed his heart.

"...This is what I'm fighting for," the youth said as if reminding himself. "This is the dream I wanted to realize."

 _It's fine even if it's hard to maintain_ , the young man thought. _That shows how serious I am in achieving my life goal to live with the people that I hold dear. This means I'm actually trying my best so as to live without regrets._

The future might be bleak. Tomorrow might not be the same as today. There was nothing that could guarantee this happiness would continue to last. Even so…

"Even if the road is full of obstacles," Issei murmured, his eyelids fluttering down. "Even with all the difficulty that comes with it… I'll keep on doing my best."

Again and again and again.

Even if he had to overcome a million years of hardships. Even if he had to fall and try again from scratch. Even if he would live on while losing something important along the way…

"I'll do it." Issei extended his left arm to the ceiling and clenched his fist. "I'll fulfill all of my promises. I'll continue to walk this path to the very end."

Not because it was good or bad.

Not because it was the right or wrong thing to do.

He had found his determination to continue living in this ruined world.

"...I'll make the most memorable story about the greatest happiness that will ever exist," Issei pledged. "For those girls who gave me hope. For my family that continues to support me. For myself and my own selfishness…"

Then—

"And then," Issei breathed out, a soft smile permeating on his face. "This is the story I will tell you when we meet again… Gin-chan."

The calendar on the wall indicated Divine Era Year 303, January 1.

As pure white snowflakes continued to fall, the Era of the Gods entered a new phase.

This is a story like any other. A fairytale that is no different than the rest. It may fade away in the passage of time. It may not be completed in time. It may not end in the way the writer originally hoped for. It may vanish like the thawing snow, forgotten by everyone and everything. Have you heard this story before?

This is the tale of those who wished to set history in motion.

* * *

 **AN:** Well, this is the start of the sequel. I apologize it took times to upload here, but making a Fusion AU is pretty hard since I'm going to both hit and wreck stations of canon pretty easily. Once again, welcome to the world of Scales and Flower Petals. Happy new year and may you have a pleasant reading experience.


	2. Chapter 2 - First Flower of the Year

Kyoto.

The former imperial capital of Japan. It was located in the Kinki region, also known as Kansai prior to the Apocalypse. Kyoto was famous for many things such as being the base of the Youkai Faction, but personally speaking, the town of Kyoto was best known for birthing the world's first modern novel:

The Tale of Genji.

Ignoring its authenticity, the Tale of Genji was the first thing that would come up when you talked about popular ancient Japanese literature. The novel depicted the lives of imperial court members during the Heian period with precise consistency, and it was the novel that had become the basis of harem genre in Japan. Though saying that, like any other story out there, it had its own faults, such as Genji's plot of raising an ideal lover by kidnapping his ten-year-old niece and educating her to be just like the step-mother he had deeply fallen in love with.

No matter how you looked at it, that was messed up, even for a breasts-obsessed pervert like Issei.

"Yeah… of all things possible, I wouldn't want to grow up and turn into someone like Genji." The brown-haired boy yawned as he exited his room. "...Hm? Isn't that..."

When he checked the quarter beyond his room—the Kuroshoin—he saw a girl sitting at one side of a long rectangle table. Her long blonde hair was tied in low pigtails and dressed in a sweater with a knee-length skirt and leggings that accentuated her legs.

The girl with light green eyes narrowed her eyes in a smile as she read the papers held in her right hand.

"…Fuu-senpai?" Issei approached and found an opened envelope on the table in front of his upperclassman. "Is that a letter from Itsuki-chan?"

The girl elicited a strange sound. It seemed she didn't expect his presence at all. However, Inubouzaki Fuu lowered her eyebrows and readjusted her composure before she responded to him.

"O-oh, it's just you, Issei." The boy's eyebrows twitched at her words. "What? Blame yourself for surprising a lady. Also, you sure woke up late."

Yeah, well, had work not been pestering him, he would have gotten a decent night's sleep. Still, Issei wouldn't blame others for that. The circumstance just happened to not be ideal, so there was no helping it. Plus, he wasn't sober enough to think about difficult stuff.

"I overslept," answered Issei without adding anything else. "I haven't seen the others, though. Is everyone off to visit the shrine?"

"Hmm? Ah, yeah. Almost everyone went to Fushimi Inari," Fuu said before wrapping up the letters and putting them back into the envelope painted in warm green color. "Yuuna and Sonoko wanted to see the flowers, and Tougou has some business with Taisha."

"Really?" Issei blinked in genuine surprise. "What about Karin-chan?"

Fuu pointed at the sliding doors facing the Green Garden. Issei immediately understood the unspoken message, and if he strained his hearing, he could hear wooden sticks beating the air frequently.

Issei exasperated a little. As always, the most diligent member of the Hero Club had something against normalcy and everything that came with it. He might as well follow the examples and do whatever he wanted, then…

"Well, now that you're awake…" Fuu stood up and placed a hand on her waist. "Issei, go get changed. I'll tell Karin to do the same."

"...Eh? For what?"

"Do you even need to ask?" Fuu nudged with her chin and smiled. "It's New Year. What else would we do besides asking for our yearly blessing?"

* * *

The outside was expectedly cold.

Issei exhaled white breaths. Even though he had become a full dragon, the environment seemed to have a way of affecting his life. Ddraig said it had something to do with him being in the class of a low-spec Land God, and it was apparently related to one of the few authorities he had gained from making a partnership with the Shinju.

 _But it's still freaking cold, dammit._

"Come on, you two. It's just a bit more walking!" Fuu's voice traveled from the gravel path leading to the main shrine.

Issei groaned and walked after her while hugging his arms. Even though he was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, a winter jacket, thick jeans, a muffler, and a pair of gloves, it was cold. Snow kept on falling, and while it was lighter than last night, it was cold. _Oh, wait, I just repeated myself there._

"Ugh, must be nice, being unaffected by the weather…"

After saying that out loud, the third member of the group scoffed.

"Stop complaining already. It's not like you have anything to do anyway."

Issei glared sideways. There he found a brunette grumpily walking ahead. She shrank her neck into her overcoat and a scarlet scarf hid her lips and the back of her neck from the falling snows.

Karin's twintails swayed in the winds as she fixed the position of her ear muffs.

"...You look no better than me, Karin-chan." Issei pointed out.

"Shut up," responded the girl with reddened nose and cheeks. "I've been doing well practicing, and it all went to waste."

"Says the girl who got frostbites around the tip of her ears and fingers."

Issei immediately sped up as snowballs and an angry yell flew over his head. He ran past Fuu, the blonde looking back before she chased after him too.

"Wait, don't drag me into your scuffle, you imbecile!" Fuu caught up and pulled on her junior's fluttering hood. "And why are you running ahead of me!? Act like a gentleman when there's danger nearby!"

"Like I care!" Issei shrieked as a gray ball flew by his right cheek. "Isn't that a rock!? Stop, Karin-chan! Stones are against the rule– _owaah!?_ "

Even though it was the first day of the year, Issei had no other option besides running for his life.

* * *

At the end of it, the three members of Hero Club reached the Fushimi Inari Taisha while being unable to move an inch any further.

"Damn… you…" Karin squeezed out a harsh gasp. "I, swear… I'm going to, beat you senseless... after this is over…"

A few meters away from her, Fuu gasped for air. Her entire body trembled, and she bent her knees and rested both of her hands on them to support herself from falling on her front.

"Even though, I have nothing... to do with this…" The blonde groaned. "What is this, some sort of, ill omen…?"

 _No, that's clearly your fault for playing along._

Issei wanted to say something along that line, but he found himself way too tired to even do that. It was laughable, considering his physical finesse had vastly improved before he moved to Kyoto.

[That's because you were utter shit back then.]

Issei stilled, looked up, and then sighed.

 _You don't have to put it so bluntly like that, Ddraig…_

The dragon sealed within the Sacred Gear scoffed.

As always, he acted high-and-mighty, as if being polite was beneath him or something, but Ddraig was a Heavenly Dragon, one of the two ancient beings who had picked a fight with the Biblical God, Satan, and the Grigori just because they interrupted their duel. Being smug and prideful was absolutely in-character for a dragon with flashy title like 'Red Emperor Dragon', though maybe that smugness was rubbing off on Issei lately—

[Well, I don't know if it's about you,] Ddraig suddenly said. [You sacrificed your humanity and became a humanoid dragon. Then you made a deal with the embodiment of the local Land Gods, gaining a few of their authorities. At this point, calling you a cheaply-made Dragon God wouldn't be odd.]

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" Issei spread his lips horizontally.

[There are a lot of Dragon Gods, but most of them are already slain, the rest refusing to involve themselves with the world for some reasons, and others are just plain disinterested with everything besides what they already have.]

Huh, that sounded weird. Particularly the last category.

"Is there even any dragon like that?"

[If you're talking about the last type,] Ddraig paused. He sounded like he was considering something he just remembered after a long time. [...A few probably still exist.]

Ugh. Now he sounded vague. Issei straightened his back and raised his left arm. He looked at it with a questioning gaze, and then he heard the Red Emperor Dragon exasperate.

[I do not know much about the current world, partner,] Ddraig said. [It's not like I can decide when my Host wakes me up. I know about that stupid theocracy and how they operate because the last time I woke up was at the end of the previous age.]

 _Yeah, I remember that_. Issei recalled the past memories that tried to drag him down into the pit of despair. _That isn't a time anyone would consider as fond memories._

[Now you get it,] Ddraig heaved. [I do not mind telling you all the things I and my previous Hosts did, but the time when we fought together with the Heroes of this land was not anything pretty, if at all.]

"...I guess I'm being insensitive, then." Issei scratched his head and sighed again. For some reasons, the pale sky had become unbearable to gaze upon. "Sorry there, Ddraig."

Though he had half-expected it, the sound of the dragon's sneer irritated Issei a bit. Nevertheless, it wouldn't be Ddraig if he didn't respond like that.

[There is nothing to apologize for. More importantly, look ahead of you.]

Huh? It took a brief moment for Issei to process what his partner had said. But it took him a few more beats as someone shouted out his name. When Issei looked ahead in the direction where the shrine's main building was at…

"Ah."

He saw a girl waving at him. Dressed in a deep blue winter overcoat and knee-length cream-colored skirt, her long red ponytail contrasted the dull colors of the world. His heart warmed upon gazing at her smile, and he felt all of his weariness being blown away.

It was a wonderful feeling.

"Morning there." The boy approached and stood across of his classmate; a smile slowly but surely bloomed on his face. "...Sorry, I was late."

The girl shook her head and beamed.

"It's fine," she said. "Issei-kun, you've been working hard for everyone's sake, so you have the right to take a break whenever you want."

Issei couldn't help but show a troubled expression. Once again, he realized he was being pampered by the kindness of others. No, even more than that…

"...You really never change, do you?"

At his murmurings, the girl blinked and tilted her head. She asked what he was saying, but Issei decided to wave it off by telling her that it was nothing. _I don't think it matters anyway, that sort of thing._

The boy exhaled white breaths and looked beyond his beloved friend. The shrine grounds were crowded with people. It was to the point of overflowing as many went in and out of the shrine's main gate. Issei then realized that there was something missing and looked back at the redhead.

"Say, where's Sonoko-chan?"

"Aaah…" The girl drawled, her eyes swimming before she entwined her fingers in front of her chest. "Well, Sonoko-chan said she wants to rest, so she went to the main shrine and…"

...And? For some reasons, she seemed reluctant to explain further. After Issei gave her a long stare, the girl's cheeks heated up and hung her head.

"Uuh… There were a lot of people of Taisha marching out… And then Sonoko-chan was carried off in a _mikoshi_."

Issei inhaled. He processed the information he had just received for a good whole minute and imagined. He imagined a blonde cloudcuckoolander sitting in a portable shrine as masked people in Heian-style uniforms exclaim 'Heave-ho!' and 'Wasshoi!' repeatedly.

He also imagined the masses parting ways and gawking as they watched the bizarre scene.

"...Why is it so easy to imagine that happening?" Issei rubbed his nose and looked away. "I thought we're supposed to blend in with the locals as naturally as we can… Why, Sonoko-chan…? Why?"

"...Ah… aha ha ha…" His friend laughed weakly and patted him on the shoulder to comfort him. "W-well, at least she's alright! And the people think it's a form of attraction, so everything will be alright!"

 _If only reality can be as simple…_

Issei knew he was going to have to explain a lot of things to the people in the headquarters. He would also have to report his finding to the Princess of Kyoto too, meaning more work for him.

 _Well, at least it's not going to be that hard this time around…_

"...Umm… Issei-kun?"

"Hmm?" Issei turned his head and met a concerned red gaze. "...Is there something on my face?"

"Eh… are we causing troubles again?"

 _...Huh?_

"Uh, what?" Issei frantically waved. "No, of course not! There's nothing wrong!"

"Really?" The girl asked.

"Really!" Issei exclaimed. "There's no way I'm bothered by you all! I mean, it's fine to rely on me as much as you want!"

He wasn't sure what he was saying now.

Issei felt like he should have said something different, and that seemed to be the correct answer as he saw frown forming on his friend's face. The boy began sweating bullets until the girl sighed and relaxed her expression, erasing her frown as easily as flipping a switch.

"You're a bad liar, Issei-kun." The girl formed a soft smile. "But it's okay. I'm sure the others understand that, so... let's share the burdens, okay?"

"That's…" Issei opened and closed his mouths repeatedly, unable to find the right words to say. He soon gave up and exasperated, his shoulders lowering down while at it. "...Ugh, I can't believe this. I'm supposed to be your Patron Deity you know… if I can't even help you girls, what's the point of me taking some authorities of Shinju-sama…?"

"But it's the job of the Shrine Maiden to support the deity she worshipped, right?" The girl remarked, and Issei hung his head in defeat. "Heh he, I've studied a lot, so don't think I'm the same as I was yesterday!"

She pulled a cheeky grin and showed a peace sign with her right hand, but the sight was too cute to not be lovestruck again. How many times had this happened?

 _Aah,_ the boy thought. He scratched his head and pulled up his scarf to cover his face even though it was an exercise in futility. _I really can't win against those that I love…_

As he thought that, he noticed his dearest friend inching closer. Her smile was infectious, so Issei tugged his scarf even higher while taking a step backward. He asked what was wrong, and the girl intertwined her hands behind the small of her back.

She said, "I'm looking forward to being with you again this year, Issei-kun."

The boy stilled.

He stood still, completely baffled by what he had just heard. Seconds passed by, and the snows continued to float down, melding in with the white carpet covering the majority of the shrine grounds.

In the midst of it all, Issei tugged his scarf down, letting his resigned smile seen by the girl.

"...Now that I think about it, I haven't said 'Happy New Year', huh?"

To his question, Yuuki Yuuna nodded and answered, "Un! Happy New Year, Issei-kun!"

* * *

In a room reserved specifically for important guests, a girl entered after sliding open the door. Her waist-length black hair trailed after her as she moved forward, and the occupant of the room faced her before prostrating on the Tatami floors.

Staring at the priestess of Taisha, all the girl could feel was bitter resignation.

It wasn't because she hated meeting the priestess. On the contrary, she had looked forward to meeting her again, as she had known her during her time as 'Washio Sumi'. But when the priestess removed her mask, it revealed the facial feature of a brown-haired woman in glasses. She had aged somewhat, and her eyes seemed to be filled with swirling thoughts. It was clear that she was exhausted, what with the pale color of her cheeks and the bags sitting below her brown eyes.

Nevertheless, Aki expressed a smile even if it looked awkward and strained from every angle.

"...I'm sorry," the former teacher of Tougou's… no, _Washio Sumi's_ class started. "While many policies have changed for the better, there are still some aspects where we have to act as the guardians of humanity."

"...I see." Tougou slowly nodded. "I cannot be as kind as my friends. I have no right to tell you what to do, but..."

Tougou formed a small but troubled smile.

"I wish to speak with Aki-sensei, not the priestess of Taisha."

Like that, the woman in glasses stared for a bit. There was no other sound beside the muted noise of ringing shrine bells, and the hustle and bustles of the crowds from the front part of the shrine, but soon Tougou detected the whistling sound of a boiling kettle. The girl and her former teacher glanced at a kettle that released shimmering air and a line of white steam out of the spout.

When Tougou looked back at the woman in white dress, her shoulders lowered down and the woman exhaled in resignation. Even so, the expression she had was one that even the current Tougou was familiar with; a soft smile that inspired nostalgia.

"Very well," Aki responded, any and all rigid pretenses she once had evaporating as she spoke out. "Would you like some tea first, _Washio-san?_ "

Tougou's expression brightened. She was getting the hang of using the right words to obtain the best result.


	3. Chapter 3 - Snow Falls, Leaves Scatter

Living by herself was tough.

She had to wake up early or else she wouldn't be able to do anything at all. It wasn't that she was hopeless, but she had to tidy her bed, prepare the school uniform, books and other things for classes in advance, mop the floors, wash the laundry, cook her own food and put out the trash. If there was something Itsuki had learned ever since Fuu moved out of the dormitory upon entering high school, that would be how much efforts is needed for one to survive by their lonesome.

 _Onee-chan really is amazing,_ the girl thought as she aired out the laundry. _Compared to her, I still have a long way to go…_

After she was finished with the chores for the day, Itsuki wiped her forehead with her sleeve. The outside was still cold, so she kept on wearing her jacket like a mantle over her dress. The chilly morning air greeted her, and the early birds chirped from the balcony railings.

Itsuki softly smiled as she joined in by humming a tune.

"Hmm?" It was then that the girl with princess-cut blonde hair turned toward the dormitory's front door. A familiar echo of ringing electronic bells resounded. "...a guest? I wonder who…"

Upon opening the door, she was greeted with a veil of light blond hair.

The girl blinked as she met the gray gaze of a girl clothed in a prim and proper kimono. She was standing at around her height, and though pale-skinned, the slight red tinting her cheeks made her look adorable like a doll. It didn't take long for Itsuki to recognize the identity of the guest, and Kokudou Aya's soft smile infected Itsuki as she tilted her head slowly.

"Good morning, Itsuki-san," Aya greeted with eyes narrowing in a smile. She bowed down slightly and raised her hands which were holding a shoulder bag that resembled an expensive souvenir bag. "Happy New Year! I've come for a visit!"

While she was flustered by the sudden visit of the most respected Shrine Maiden of Taisha, Itsuki had enough social experience to keep her composure from falling into pieces. She greeted Aya back in the same manner and accepted the gift albeit in a hurry.

"T-Thank you for coming all the way here…" Itsuki stepped aside as if making ways. "Umm, would you like to come in? I was going to make some roasted mochis."

"Ah, is it _osechi?_ " At her nod, Aya's smile widened and she literally _skipped_ inside. "Then, pardon me for the intrusion!"

Itsuki laughed under her breaths. Aya was still the same, always excitable and easily entranced by normal activities.

 _But that's just how she is._

Unlike her and her friends, Aya was a shrine maiden born with the power to communicate with gods. Her ability and bloodline made her live a solitary life to the point of preventing her from interacting with the world, all so that she could be prepared to fulfill her Duty in Taisha. It was only after the incident on that fated summer day that she was allowed to live together with her family again, and a year had barely passed ever since she transferred to Sanshu Municipal Middle School.

 _I'm glad that everything's going well..._

Itsuki pursed her lips a little. The situation had changed considerably, even for the better, but there was just no way for her to forget the bad things that had happened in the past. It dampened her mood somewhat, considering the recently publicized Sentinel Project Aya had chosen to actively participate in. Even though it was New Year...

"I wonder if this is what Onee-chan felt when she began working for Taisha…"

Sighing, Itsuki was about to close the door when she heard someone calling out to her. Stilling for a bit, she looked back and heard Aya asking what was wrong from the within the dorm. Itsuki stepped outside again and pushed the front door to check in the hallway.

"Yo, Itsuki-chan! How are you?" A brown-haired girl in glasses waved.

"Ah," Itsuki muttered before waving back at her classmate. "Aika-chan?"

What a surprise. She didn't expect to receive two guests at the beginning of the year. _Then again, Aika-chan and Aya-chan are clubmates…_

The brunette in a sweater, miniskirts, and stockings combined together ran up.

She gave Itsuki a sudden hug which made the petite girl squeak, but the warmth derived from the physical contact quickly calmed her down.

"Happy New Year!" Aika grinned as she stepped back, releasing Itsuki from her affectionate greeting. She looked ahead and her grin turned unpleasant in Itsuki's eyes. "Oh, and there's Aya-chan, too! My, are you two having a home date already? I wonder what your older sister will think~"

Itsuki sputtered and felt lightheaded all of a sudden. Aya must have heard it as well as she voiced out loud protests from the dorm, but there was no way verbal scolding would ever diminish Kiryuu Aika's mischievous nature.

As one of her best friends laughed like an old man, Itsuki wholeheartedly believed that there was going to be another tough year to endure. _Even though we're going to graduate from middle school this spring..._

* * *

The sky had gradually cleared up.

The snow was falling lighter and lighter. It seemed the weather was taking a better change, and it was growing warmer as the clock headed to the afternoon. The shift could be felt more conspicuously if you were on a high ground.

A boy and three girls stood perfectly still in front of the main shrine structure of Fushimi Inari Taisha. The girls bowed down, threw some coins into the offertory box, clapped three times, and closed their eyes as they gave their respective prayers. Issei could have joined the girls, but he chose not to do that. Making a wish was the privilege only for the mortals, so 'something' like him is no longer allowed to make some whimsical thoughts without causing some sort of proverbial and literal Butterfly Effect.

Still, if a weak Dragon God like him could be allowed to make a wish… he hoped only for one thing and whispered under his breath.

 _I wonder if it will be granted…?_

Once they were done, Issei and the girls made ways for the next visitors and separated themselves from the crowds. The group of four headed to the stalls distributing _Omamori_ , _Omikuji_ , and _amazake_ , and Fuu suddenly rushed ahead.

"Urraaaaah!" Fuu paid for and shook the sacred lot's box. "Go, my youthful Girl Power…!"

As her underclassmen gawked, the blonde continued shaking the octagonal box as if her life depended on it. When she stopped shaking the box around, a rolled lot dropped out and the girl hurriedly unrolled it... only to gasp in sheer horror.

"...Can I assume you got bad luck, senpai?" Issei asked after he approached the seemingly dispirited and heartbroken senior.

The girl spun around and yelled with a tearful face, "Shut up! If I rerolled, my Girl Power will definitely unleash the greatest miracle ever existed!"

 _Don't do that. You're going to get cursed for real._

While exasperating at the no-good girl that would enter her last year in high school this spring, Issei checked the rest of the group. Karin and Yuuna bought their own shares of omikuji, and the two rolled open their lots at the same time.

"Ah! Great Blessing!" Yuuna cheered.

"Hm. So-so, I guess." Karin rolled back her lot and slipped it into the breast pocket of her jacket. "At least it matches what I want."

Oh? That sounded hella interesting. As far as Issei knew, the lots would only predict one of the many aspects of life one wanted to know, so Karin's words definitely piqued his curiosity. It seemed Yuuna was thinking the same way, judging from the way she looked at Karin.

"Karin-chan, what did you wish for?"

The brunette in question raised an eyebrow. Her cheeks heated up slightly and she averted her eyes. She even covered her lips with her mufflers, but…

"W-well… what about _you_ , Yuuna?" Karin stammered. "What's your wish for this year?"

Yuuna returned to her default position before she looked up. She placed her left index finger on her cheek and hummed. When she answered, however, she didn't forget to give her most dazzling smile.

"I want to be with everyone this year as well!"

Issei and Karin immediately backed away. It was too bright! Yuuna was way too good for the world that it hurt their eyes and consciences! And why did he have to suspect that Yuuna would wish for something trivial like eating good food for the entire year!?

 _I'm sorry! It wasn't my intention to doubt you! I beg your forgiveness! Please!_

"I already said what my wish is..." Oblivious to her friends' guilt-tripped hearts, Yuuna smiled and turned her neck toward Karin. "So, what's your wish for this year, Karin-chan?"

"Ugh! That's, well…"

After she was unable to form a coherent string of words, Karin lowered her shoulders and gave up. With her arms dangling limply, she hung her head in a show of utter defeat. However, she deeply inhaled and spoke out:

"...I want to be kinder than before."

...Oh?

"That's a shocking answer…" Issei murmured, then he hastily stepped aside as Karin almost punched him in the gut. "Whoa! Stop it, you idiot! I'm not making fun of you!"

"Then what's that response!?"

"I can't help it, okay?!" Issei raised his hands in the air and exasperated, "I mean… no matter how you look at it, you're already plenty kind, Karin-chan."

Issei tried to dodge again when it turned out nothing was directed at him. He blinked, his dark brown eyes staring at Karin who hung her mouth open before going 'Bwah?'

"W-What are…!? What are you talking about!?" Karin all but shrieked with a beet red face. "What part of me is kind!?"

 _Oh, wow, I should have borrowed Mimori-chan's video camera._

"If you think you've mellowed out," Issei paused and took his time to give his friend a flat expression. "Then you're dead wrong, Karin-chan. Who's the busybody that always tried to meddle in someone else's business every time?"

"I don't do that all the time!"

Oh, so she was somewhat self-aware. Issei was glad Karin didn't make an excuse since that would have been tedious.

"Then you already got the idea," Issei pointed out. "Not everyone can be so kind that she doesn't mind being a busybody for nearly twenty-four-seven. Seriously, don't you know how many requests you've cleared out last year?"

Karin looked away from Issei's half-lidded stare instead of arguing. He took note that she also didn't deny his words, so he considered it as a small victory on his part.

"Now, now. Setting aside Karin Bullying Campaign New Year Edition…" Fuu smirked as said bullied person glared at her. She waved and looked at Issei in the eyes. "What did you wish for, Issei?"

The boy raised an eyebrow. Was there some sort of hidden meaning in asking him? Then again, both he and Fuu were the only ones who had yet to—

"I, for one, am wishing for Itsuki to pass her exams perfectly!" Fuu suddenly exclaimed with a hand placed on her chest.

 _Damn, she moves fast! How is that fair!?_

Plainly ignoring Issei's shock, Karin exasperated at the girl who laughed while puffing her chest.

"You sure don't hesitate in spending an entire year's worth of luck for someone else…" The girl with twin-tail commented.

"And I'm proud of it!" The siscon announced.

Karin shook her head and said 'I was an idiot to say that'. Naturally, Fuu who was being in full Smug Mode ignored her droll tone or even the implication behind her words. Turning her head toward Issei, he blinked before lowering his shoulders at her glare.

"...Well," Issei started after he bobbed his head down slightly. "I don't need a miracle to be a Harem King, so that's out. I'm also not expecting some Divine Intervention to smooth the road ahead since that's way too expensive. Plus, I don't think people would abruptly be kinder to each other after doing really bad things yesterday."

 _If I think about it, I no longer have much to hope for, huh?_

Before he transferred to Sanshu, getting a girlfriend and becoming Mister Popular Hot Guy had been his greatest wish. It made Issei realize how far he had come to, and how much he had changed. Was it a good thing that he had known a lot of things, be it the good and the bad? Was it a bad thing for him to struggle and sacrifice so much just to reach this point? Was he regretting the changes to his surroundings, the people around him, and he himself?

"...Then, what's your wish?" Fuu asked after a contemplative silence lasted for a minute or so.

"Hmmm…" Issei closed his eyes and put two fingers on his chin. He pondered for a bit before he reopened his eyes and flashed his friends with a toothy grin. "I'm not telling."

Yuuna, Karin, and Fuu blinked. A second later, they all lowered their eyebrows together but before they could commit their move, Issei ran past them and laughed. He heard frustrated yells as snowballs flew at him, but his combat experience and battle instinct had grown so much he dodged them all with ease.

"Wahahahahaaaa! It's not like I have to answer, right!?"

"That's not something to be proud of, dammit!" Fuu yelled at the top of her lungs.

* * *

A certain room occupied by two people was filled with a warm atmosphere.

Not that it wasn't easy to point out that the heater and _kotatsu_ are the reasons for this feeling. Tougou didn't expect Aki to have already secured the place, but then again, her past memories as Washio Sumi suggested that her former teacher had her own weak spots.

 _I wonder if Aki-sensei still hates bell peppers..._

After she sat in the warm and fluffy confine of the kotatsu, Tougou placed down the jacket she had held on her arm and smoothed it out so as not to leave many wrinkles on the fabrics. Aki, in the meanwhile, situated herself across of her. Although saying that, the woman quickly sighed and loosened the tensions on her face to an unexpected degree.

"Haah…" Aki moaned, her cheeks slackened while her lips loosened into a natural smile. The way the dull orange blanket climbed up and down around her as she rolled her shoulders gave ways to her behavior at home, and Aki quickly gasped the moment she took notice of Tougou's gaze. "Ah, uh…! Um, this isn't how it looks!"

Tougou answered by bobbing her head down a few times. Her eyes narrowed in a smile and she quirked her lips upward.

"Yes. Indeed, I understand." Tougou giggled softly and slowly so that she could convince her teacher. "Please be at ease, Aki-sensei. I can keep a secret just fine. Certainly, my lips are sealed tight. There is nothing to be worried about, yes."

"T-the way you said it does not reassure me at all!"

Oh, dear. It didn't seem like she could be trusted. Even though she was being completely sincere about her words and intention…

"Well, setting that aside," Tougou said and paused as Aki gave her a look, but she ignored it without thinking twice. It earned her a growl, but well, that did not affect her in the least bit at all. "How have you been, Aki-sensei?"

"I feel like you know more than you let on, Washio-san."

"True, that." The black-haired Hero nodded. "But I wish to hear it from the person directly. I have only seen you a few times. Even then, that was because Issei-san is held up at work sometimes."

It was a wonder if being around that boy could be considered as a blessing or a curse. Tougou recalled the times where he forgot his lunch boxes, was too absorbed in fulfilling his Duty, and-or simply couldn't stop getting involved in some outrageous troubles. The last part was the worst part since Issei couldn't be called the perpetrator as much as a victim. The girl knew far too well that the boy's heart was in the right place, but the world simply couldn't stop trying to get back at him for breaking numerous common rules so nonchalantly.

 _Well, he's a dragon, after all..._

Lightly sighing, Tougou thought that she might have become a bit too intrusive, but then she found Aki affixing her gaze at her. The lenses of her glasses were clouded by the light descending from the windows, which made it difficult to discern her intention.

"...Washio-san," Aki called out. "Please do not compare me with Hyoudou-san. I do not live as carefreely as he does."

Hm. Such a fair argument. Tougou was impressed, now.

"But you still hate bell peppers, right?"

Tougou heard a clear 'urk!?' from Aki's throat, the sound resembling a cross between a croaking and a choking noise. The girl laughed quietly as cherry red color painted the cheeks of her former teacher, but then again, she might be entering a dangerous territory soon, so…

"Well," Tougou paused. She leaned back slightly and picked up the teacup on the kotatsu table. "Aki-sensei, I heard from Issei-san and Karin-chan's brother that you are managing several major projects at once. It worries me. They are the methods to save the world without sacrificing anyone, right?"

At her words, Aki grunted and shook her head, saying 'why are men so unreliable at times like these' under her breaths.

Tougou raised an eyebrow, but Aki waved it off immediately. "...I admit that it is not an easy task to manage several projects at once. However, as my Duty remains unchanged, I will continue serving Taisha as their spokesperson, mediator, as well as a priestess."

"...And you are fine with that?"

Aki merely displayed a thin smile. Her eyes narrowed down, and her eyebrows lowered together, all in resignation.

"This may not be my place to say, but when you become an adult, you will become aware of your own limits," the brown-haired woman sighed. "Not only that. You cannot expect others to come help you when you need it the most, nor can you ever expect that the world will bend to your will just by hoping 'everything will be alright'."

"...If that is what becoming an adult is, I would not wish to grow up at all."

"Everyone thinks the same at some point." Aki's expression softened. "Truly, you are not the only one who believes that it is better to stay the way you are–living a blissful and happy life, completely ignorant and dismissive of the harshness happening all around the world. By no means is that a bad thing, Washio-san."

Truly? How could it be? Tougou tilted her head as Aki nodded deeply, her tied brown hair that was slung over her shoulder brushing against her dress.

"Which is more important, the world? Or the people you love?" The former teacher shook her head with her eyes closed together. "Without the world, you will never know what is important to you. Without the people important to you, there might as well be no point in living."

When she finished, Tougou had expected for Aki to give out a question but it never came. Even though it wouldn't be out of place, her former teacher did not pose a question. _Still, thinking about it..._

"...Everything is precious," the girl in a white and blue dress said. "Nothing is replaceable. Is that how it is?"

"Well, do you believe that Miyoshi-san is a replacement to Minowa-san?" Aki shot back and smiled bitterly as her eyes reflected Tougou's figure. "You don't think so, right? She inherited her spirit, but that applies to you, Nogi-san, Hyoudou-san, and many people out there."

"...and your point is…?"

"That even her loss, while saddening, is precious to us." Aki heaved. She placed both of her hands on the table and lowered her shoulders. "No one can replace a person who is precious to someone else. Even after death, you cannot hope to substitute them with something else. We can only let it go, and keep on walking forward. All the more so if we claim to truly cherish what we have."

"...I see."

Tougou breathed out. That was simpler than she thought, and yet incredibly _more difficult_ to understand, much less to uphold. She supposed that it was her own fault for teasing an adult like she did earlier.

She was being childish, wasn't she? It might be because of her view of Taisha influencing her actions. She normally wouldn't go out of her way just to embarrass someone.

 _Still, this is so nostalgic..._

As she was about to speak again, the sliding door opened and cold air blew into the room. Both Tougou and Aki looked at the doorways, and the two found a girl in a dirty-cream-colored jacket smiling as she intruded into the room.

"Oh, Wasshi! I found you! And Aki-sensei is here, too?" Sonoko blinked as she tilted her head, but soon she glared at a certain object sitting in-between her best friend and teacher. "Muh! They didn't tell me there's a kotatsu here!"

 _Aah, you shouldn't shout like that, this is still a part of the shrine, Sonocchi…_

As Tougou felt the need to scold her friend's rudeness, she became unaware of Aki who exasperated and shook her head.

"...I suppose this year will be as rowdy as the years before." Aki murmured wistfully.

* * *

Issei sighed.

It wasn't that he was depressed. No, not at all. It would do no good if he was depressed while being accompanied by three beautiful girls he was in love with, but then again…

"...Say, Yuuna-chan."

"Hmm?" The redhead standing by his side sipped the amazake Fuu had just treated them to.

Issei took his time in drinking the non-alcoholic drink just like her. The sweet drink made from fermented rice stung his tongue, but his heat tolerance had reached a whole different level so it felt warm at best. At least it helped stave off the coldness stabbing at his empty stomach, as it was sweet as hell.

Oh, wait. He forgot to address the issue, how forgetful of him. In all honesty, he really didn't want to, considering...

"What do I do!? My highschool life is going to end!" A blond-haired girl screamed to the heavens.

"Like I give a damn! Hell if I care!"

Issei watched on as a crying and red-faced Fuu glomped Karin who shrieked in terror. The senior crushed the empty paper cup she had been holding, and she wailed as tears dribbled down onto Karin's head.

"Eek!? Fuu, get off me!" The tsundere cried out.

"Shwaaaat up! Dat's, like! Not imphortaaaannt!" The blonde swung her right arm that was holding the crushed paper cup. She hiccupped, and then she ground her chin against Karin's forehead as she sobbed. "Don't you get it!? I'm still single this year! A beautiful girl with maximum Girl Power like me is…! Is…! Bwaaaaaaahhh!"

Oh, damn. She was totally smashed.

Issei wondered why Fuu insisted on drinking even though she had zero tolerance for alcohols. Then again, wasn't amazake supposed to be non-alcoholic?

"Umm…" Yuuna muttered as she stared at the drink in her hands intently. "This year's amazake is probably a different one."

Issei raised an eyebrow. "...So it has a really low dose of alcohol?"

Yuuna nodded in reply, still scrutinizing her cup. "It's sweeter than last year, and the scent is a bit sharper. It's probably low enough to be safely ignored."

Well, Issei couldn't really blame the shrine, then. While alcohols for minors were illegal, tradition compelled people to partake in annual festivity. It was a yearly thing for shrines to serve visitors amazake during the period of New Year's visit, as the weather tended to be harsh for visitors that wanted to watch the sunrise from high places like the shrine grounds spread throughout Kyoto.

Still, Fuu was making a big ruckus…

"I wonder if we should drag her back home." Issei tilted his head.

"Aaah… but I wouldn't want to leave Tougou-san and Sonoko-chan behind."

 _Hmm, true enough_ , Issei acquiesced with a thoughtful nod. _It wouldn't be fair for those two, and I'd feel bad for leaving them out after coming all the way here._

"Well, we better appease her, then," Issei grunted as he extended a hand toward Yuuna. The girl blinked and handed her cup over which had already been emptied out. "I'll be back quickly, so try to stop Karin-chan from losing her sanity, okay?"

As Issei turned his back to his friend, a loud 'Eh!?' blared out. The boy ignored the strings of butchered words which followed immediately after, but it wasn't like he had any choice.

 _Since senpai would get touchy-feely when she's drunk, a disaster might strike if I were close by._

Issei shook his head. He was getting more and more capable of reading his friends. Even though it wasn't a bad thing, he wondered if taking the easy way out would cause some frictions. He wouldn't want to be viewed as distancing himself from the others…

"...Hmm?"

After he tossed the garbage into the trash bin, the brown-haired boy looked up. A blue sky stretched far above him. The snows had stopped falling, and streams of sunlight pierced through white veils of clouds. He could hear the hustles and bustles of the visitors gathered in front of the main shrine building, and a chilly wind blew past his side.

It was then that Issei heard a sharp sound, not unlike cracked glass.

"...ah."

Issei turned to face a certain direction upon hearing a whisper concealed in the cold winds. He held his breath, at a loss for words until he narrowed his eyes in a glare. Tension rolled over his entire body. His heart pounded in his chest, his blood boiling. He immediately restrained his emotions with all of his willpower, clenching his left hand as a snarl leaked out of his mouth.

[So it's here again…] Inside his head, the voice of the Red Dragon Emperor echoed. [Brace yourself, partner.]

A great booming sound blasted through the air. People cried out as the earth shook, and birds perching on the trees flew with deafening cries. The sky covered with clouds were now filled with birds crying out, and their feathers floated down as panic-stricken words filled the atmosphere.

In the next moment, a familiar pillar of light emerged from the horizon.


	4. Chapter 4 - Seeds of Rekindled War

Following their former teacher, Tougou and Sonoko passed by crowds of people being herded into the deeper parts of Inariyama for shelter.

Children held their family's hands, while the elderly took a separate line. The young and the old walked in a regulated pace so that no unfortunate accident could happen, but Tougou believed that the shelter being a _Kanpei-Taisha_ might have something to do with the calm atmosphere the people had.

However, words as loud as the footsteps of hundreds of people pierced through the air.

From anxious reassurances to accusations, many words and emotions reverberated through the ceilings, walls, and wooden floors. They pricked at Tougou's ears like a thousand needles, and it caused her heart to pound uneasily. It wasn't... It wasn't a wonderful thing to know—

"...Mimori-sama, please focus on your task."

Looking up from the floors, the black-haired girl stared at the back of the Taisha priestess. Taking a large yet even stride, Aki guided her former students faithfully, even as Tougou sensed a number of people glaring upon noticing the mask the woman wore.

"Ever since three years ago, Taisha has taken various blows," Aki said with a strangely composed, almost emotionless tone. "In order to protect mankind, by no means is there any price too high for us to pay. In the near future, Taisha will no doubt dissolve and vanish from history. But even if our days are numbered, and even if something is lost, a Hero such as you must not cast your head low."

Hearing her words, Tougou pursed her lips. In her mind, the words her best friend had once shouted at the stage glimmering in light resurfaced, and she was about to speak out when a certain blond-haired girl exasperated.

"...But," Sonoko said. "Believing that it's alright to sacrifice something you hold dear is wrong, Aki-sensei."

The two's former teacher did not look back, much less exposing any clue of reaction. All that Tougou could see was a rigid back devoid of hesitation or even emotion. But still...

"Indeed, there is nothing wrong with such line of thinking," Aki responded after a minute of silence. "There is always a way for us to reach a common ground. As long as we do not give up trying to find a better solution, a path surely exists, but…"

Without an answer, both Tougou and Sonoko glanced at each other. For some reasons, Aki seemed to hesitate. _Why—_

"Ah, there they are!" From ahead, a shout was heard. "Tougou-san! Sonoko-chan! Over here!"

* * *

Yuuna waved with a smile as her closest friends approached the shrine grounds in front of the _honden._

She was glad that the Hero Club had fully gathered together, but the present situation soured the merry atmosphere. Also, she took notice of a Taisha priestess, but she looked… familiar. Looking back, her classmate raised an eyebrow as if he saw something odd.

Despite making a strange face, Issei shook his head and nodded. "Well, happy new year, Sonoko-chan. Tougou-san. Sorry, but we're going to celebrate later."

The girls formed small smiles. They said not to worry and Issei's expression relaxed somewhat, seemingly relieved. That felt kind of wrong for Yuuna. _Even though I've been doing my best to reassure him..._

"...Yuuna?" Karin called out. "Why are you puffing your cheeks?"

Huh? Was she? Placing a hand on her cheek, Yuuna realized Karin was right and tilted her head.

"Errm... I'm not so sure..." Yuuna glanced at Issei who had begun talking with the Taisha priestess at some point. The girl paused and put a finger on her chin, a glint flashing in her deep red eyes. "...No, I think I have a few ideas about it."

Her friend blinked a few times. Yuuna looked back at her, but Karin scooted over and discussed something with Fuu in low voices.

What was up with her? Was the tension affecting everyone?

Yuuna's thoughts were halted when she heard someone clearing their throat. All gazes gathered on Issei who was now standing in front of the _honden_ with his scarf loosened enough to show his Adam's apple.

"Okay, as everyone knows, the light signal went up." The brown-haired boy's gaze sharpened as he inhaled. "That means there's a large breach. This is a matter of national emergency, but this particular signal means..."

Just like that, the morning air's temperature seemed to have dropped several degrees. It was a familiar, bone-chilling sensation. It was so eery it reminded Yuuna of the previous battles, and the crisis that had once struck her hometown.

"War, huh?" Fuu wondered aloud. The senior sighed and folded her arms. "Well, I kind of expected it. The gods above… I mean, the _Aragami_ haven't been dealt with at all. They _did_ send out endless minions with an overpowered Divine Artifact instead of finishing us off by their own hands."

After voicing her thoughts out, the Taisha priestess stepped forward and bowed her head slightly.

"That is because the rampaging gods do not consider mingling with 'impurity' as necessary." At the looks she had drawn, the priestess explained further, "Their belief is that the current humanity and those who fight alongside them as impure, a cause to purify. Why is that, a few theories exist, but the majority believed it has something to do with the gifted few, those who are born with powerful attunement to divinity."

Tougou narrowed her gaze into a chilling glare.

The priestess seemed unnerved as she raised her head slightly, but Issei raised a hand and waved.

"This isn't a good place to talk about that. Maybe later, but for now, we still have a threat to put out."

Oh, he was taking the lead again. But Yuuna had to agree, and everyone displayed the same conviction on their faces. After receiving nods of agreement, the boy raised his chin and pointed at the sky. Yuuna quickly realized what he meant with that.

"There's a wave of Stardust approaching from the northeast of Shimane. The Sentinels stationed there reported there's no sighting of Constellation, but their numbers are around a few millions."

She thought that she could easily say they could handle it, but the last part sent a chill down Yuuna's spine. _What, what kind of..._

"A few millions? Is that for real?" Karin asked, stunned by the intel.

"Well, unlike us, the enemy camp has the best soldiers backing them up." Issei scowled after he grunted in annoyance. "An endless army that can learn from previous mistakes, evolve after every encounter, respawn pretty quickly... _And_ able to summon a freaking divine construct. If this was a game, I would've yelled at the developers for making hax mobs like that."

He grumbled under his breaths after that, but now it was Issei who went off on a tangent. Fuu slapped him on the shoulder to snap him out of it, and the boy coughed as he resumed the briefing.

"At any rate, if we use the spatial transfer magic to move between shrines, we can easily get to Izumo-Taisha and prepare a defensive line or two."

"I sense a 'but' there." Tougou pointed out.

"Yeah, well, about that…" Issei rubbed his neck. After a few moments, he hung his head down. "...I can only move two people with me. Anything more and the burden on the region's ley lines will multiply exponentially."

"...Is it that energy-consuming?"

"The northern part of Honshu doesn't have any people living there. Would you like them given up to the enemy, Tougou-san?" Issei showed a wry smile.

After shaking her head, Tougou stopped giving her inputs. But next to her, Sonoko raised a hand, and she received a sigh from Issei as if he knew what she wanted to ask.

"Also, if I used my reserves, it'd be hard for me to manage the Hero System properly," the boy confessed. "I can manage all of the Sentinels since their suits and weapons are of the same type, but the Hero System you girls are using is more difficult to handle. Not that it's wasteful, but we don't know if there's any Constellation Vertex out there or even those arrogant gods."

In other words—

"The situation will rapidly change once we entered the fray," Issei paused. "But more than anything, I won't compromise to get the ending I desire. That's why..."

* * *

 _Fate seems to have ways of toying with me._

Here she was, watching and listening to the children who had remained to fight against the inevitable. They had earned the rights to leave it all to the others, they had suffered and lost so much, and yet… they had decided to remain and do what they could.

 _That is exactly why they are Heroes, I suppose…_

She could never sigh or complain about that.

Lamenting over their decisions would hurt them, and it would go against what she had kept on believing until now. To pity them… would mean escaping from her sins and punishment.

 _This is more difficult than I thought…_

The Heroes were about to depart. Together with the Red Dragon Emperor, they would surely defend the country and protect the everyday life of everyone. The dragon had given his promise, and so all that remained was offering the necessary efforts to realize it.

Just like stories of old and all the rituals once enacted by mankind to be granted with the blessings of the gods.

But would that be alright? What if one day…

 _"...Aki-sensei?"_

She made a mistake. She acted out of reflex and lifted her head, causing her to meet the gaze of a boy who had given up his mortality to change this hopeless world. Even though she was wearing her mask, she could feel his gaze piercing through the layer of deceit she had put up.

Aki felt her spine shuddering, fearing the worst to happen. The Red Dragon Emperor parted his lips… only to close them again.

The boy formed a soft smile and bobbed his head down as if understanding something beyond her comprehension. But... Aki did not say anything.

There was… there was no point. She didn't have the qualification to—

"We're going to take the first step to save the world," the boy whose soul was bonded with an ancient dragon said. "When we returned… I hope you can prepare some refreshments for us."

The boy waved and walked off. Ahead of him, his beloved friends waited for his arrival, and illuminated by the sunlight… a warm breeze brushed past her; as if whispering familiar words into her ears.

 _"Don't worry. I will look after them—"_

A sound similar to a bell chimed. In the swaying winds, red flower petals danced, chasing after the figure of the dragon and the Heroes.

Together with a gasp overflowing with emotions, a final whisper vanished quietly into the winter sky.

 _"...See you again, Aki-sensei—"_

* * *

Issei took in the sight of a wooden structure.

Feeling the polished wooden floor, he realized the spatial teleportation to Izumo-Taisha was a success. Inhaling, he immediately felt a difference in the air.

Anxiousness, fear, worry… and magic. A tremendous amount of magic was floating in the atmosphere.

[This is… is this entire region a power spot?] Ddraig muttered out, seemingly surprised.

Raising an eyebrow, Issei looked around. He recognized the prostrating figures of the local priests of Taisha, and he waved at them so that they could continue their duty. The masked men and women stayed still before they silently left him and his friends alone.

After confirming his privacy, Issei looked at his left arm.

"What do you mean by that, Ddraig?"

[...I suppose you're still a hatchling if you can't sense it.] Ddraig snorted and gave him an image of a dragon turning his head away. [This entire region has an unimaginable amount of magic. Look at the shrine's structure or the trees outside with your true eyes.]

What? Was there a need to be cryptic at this time? Issei shook his head, thinking it could be for later.

He stepped forward before he turned around, meeting the gazes of his friends who would join the battle together with him.

"Sonoko-chan. Karin-chan." The blonde and the brunette locked their gazes with him. "Are you ready?"

"As long as I'm with you, Han-kun, there's nothing to be afraid of~" Sonoko gave a sly smile.

"Ugh. I swear, that doesn't sound right." Karin huffed, placed a hand on her waist and nodded. "I'm always ready. Just give us the terminals already."

Issei chuckled. These two didn't change even for the slightest bit, huh?

Then again, there was nothing wrong with that. _I like these two the way they are, anyway_.

[Yeah, yeah. No need to repeat that cheesy stuff all the time,] Ddraig retorted. [At any rate, clap your hands. This shrine seems to have already been prepared for you, partner.]

 _That makes it easier then._ Issei nodded and expelled the air in his lungs. He closed his eyes, focused his will and moved his toes as if clawing the grounds. _Okay, here we go…_

The boy raised both of his hands in front of his chest. When he brought them together, a clear sound echoed throughout the _honden,_ but it continued on and reverberated throughout the entire Shimane.

At first, nothing happened, but suddenly Issei sensed something like invisible threads flowing from everywhere into the shrine's hall.

Those invisible power, the magical element in the air, converged into the space between him and his friends. The density of the energy alone was high enough that even a normal human could see a ball of light appearing out of the empty air, and that lump of _power_ split into two.

They floated in the air, moving toward Karin and Sonoko who held the bright orb in their hands.

As the light show faded out, what was in their hands became a white phone which began booting itself up. The screen flickered into life and suddenly, two small forms appeared right next to them. One of them was a tubby crow in traditional Japanese clothing with large black eyes, and the other was a humanoid plush taking reference from an old samurai of the previous Era.

Before Karin could say anything, the red and black fairy of hers spoke up, "You brute!"

"...What?" Karin dryly stared at Issei.

He immediately looked away. That wasn't his problem. The fairy Yoshiteru was an Ancestral Spirit-type based on Ashikaga Yoshiteru, so he wouldn't know anything about him suddenly insulting Karin.

It wasn't like she had something to do with the conflict between the original Yoshiteru and the Miyoshi clan who had tried to usurp his rule a number of times.

No, serr.

"Heh he…! Nibosshi, your fairy is funny!" Sonoko gleefully pointed out.

Karin shuddered and shot her with a thousand-yard glare. However, the dopey smile Sonoko had would not vanish at all, so Karin grumbled and sulked.

Naturally, her face had turned as red as boiled shrimp. Such an irritable person...

"Let's not start some civil war while we have a foreign threat approaching." Issei clapped twice and drew the attention of the two to him. But suddenly, the tubby crow in Sonoko's hands flew out and perched on his head, not even forgetting to dig its claws into his scalp. "...Say, Sonoko-chan? Can I hit this guy?"

He wasn't pointing at the thing since it would be rude, but Sonoko pursed her lips nonetheless.  
 _  
It's no good, huh…?_

"Fine, fine… Anyway, do you want me to explain a few things about them?" Receiving a look from Karin, Issei nodded in acceptance. "The current Hero System is still experimental, but basically, it should work like before. It's just that the new system doesn't have the fairy's absolute defense, or Mankai and Sange features."

"So Taisha really did remove them…" Karin lowered her shoulders as if some tensions were blown away from them. "Honestly, after all that, I didn't expect them to actually follow their own words."

True, enough. The concern about Taisha was very reasonable, but the widespread Purification three years ago had reformed the entire organization from the ground up. In all honesty, the current members, save for a few, were absolute newbies who still had to get used to the new common sense ruling over the whole country.

 _And because of that, the state of the country is growing more and more unstable these days..._

"You should thank your brother for this change, Karin-chan." Issei pointed at the terminal in Karin's hand. "After all, he's the head researcher of the Hero System. The Hero System in your hands is one-hundred-percent made with brotherly love."

Karin stilled.

The girl looked back and forth between Issei and her terminal. After a bit, she lifted the phone and furrowed her eyebrows.

"Can I have mine changed to another version? Preferably something made by a third-party."

 _Oh, you hopeless tsundere… it must be hard admitting to having a siscon brother._

"Deal with it," Issei bluntly replied. Then, as if sensing his intention, Sonoko requested the damned crow to come back, and the thing on top of Issei's head flew back to its owner. He sighed in relief. "Now, anything else?"

Sonoko raised her hand.

"Say, Han-kun," the blonde paused. "Why isn't Jukai activating?"

 _...Aww, shoot. She really_ did _notice it._

"...That's because it's no longer possible to activate Jukai." Issei replied.

"...Huh? I didn't know that." Karin blinked and narrowed her eyes. "...Wait, are you hiding something?"

Issei gulped. He didn't reel back and show a drastic change of expression, but Karin's glare intensified. Quick! He must change the topic!

"I'll explain later! Anyway, there's no more question, right!? _Right?!_ Now, let's go ahead!"

Issei turned around. He raised his left arm and spread it to the side.

With a simple thought, red lights started to encase his arm before extending to wrap around his limbs, torso, waist, and head. As he turned around, the infamous red scale mail formed, eight colorful jewels adorning them as a headgear firmly covered his head.

The plates clinked with his every movement. Power was liberated from the core of his soul, and Issei breathed out. The activation of Boosted Gear had finished, and it was then he witnessed two figures shrouded in light, each of them glowing with respective colors of passionate red and elegant purple.

"...It sure has been a while ever since I'm wearing this outfit." Karin raised her right arm, clenched her hand and gave herself a once-over. "It doesn't seem like there's any problem."

"Well, Han-kun has been working non-stop to prepare for this day, after all~"

"And returning home late at night like a salaryman working overtime," Karin sighed. "Since we're still at it, spill everything out later, Issei. No buts."

Ouch. Karin was never one with mercy when tearing apart excuses. There was no room for debate at all.

"Please go easy on me…" Issei hung his head low as he scratched his scalp.

Karin merely snorted. Walking past him, the two Heroes moved and drew their weapons. Karin summoned her twin swords into her hands, while Sonoko twirled a three-pronged spear with one hand.

"No promise." Karin rushed out of the _honden_ and leaped away, heading straight in a direction where salt could be sensed drifting in the winds.

"Ah, not fair!" Sonoko followed after and leaped to a different direction. "Then I'll help evacuate the people and protecting the nearest towns!"

"Wha-you, _Sonoko!_ Are you trying to steal my role!?"

"Eeeeh? But you didn't say anything about what you're going to do, _Nibosshi~_ "

"Don't call me 'Nibosshi'...!"

As the two girls bickered voices faded away in the distances, Issei stared at the sky.

He shook his head in utter resignation. _They still like doing everything at their own pace…_

Still, it wouldn't be them if they did otherwise.

The girls he knew always understood their own limits and only do what they were best at.

Karin would immediately go to the coastline and reduce the enemy's overall number. In that case, Sonoko would follow up by helping the Sentinels while accelerating the evacuation process.

He had chosen the right people for this job. In all this, his role would be…

"...Looks like I'm stuck with getting rid the big fishes." Issei rubbed the space between his nose and lips and grinned. "Welp. Let's go, Ddraig!"

[You don't need to say it, partner!]

Leaping out of the shrine, six wings expanded from his back. The humanoid dragon flapped his wings and flew to his battlefield.

* * *

The scenery moved.

No. To be more precise, she was moving.

Every large step she took became a powerful leap that let her soar in the sky. When stomping the ground, it enabled her to jump much like a grasshopper. Had it been in any other circumstance, she would have felt amazed at how many physical laws she had shattered with just a single move.

Breathing out, the girl fixed her collar and helmet.

The green combat outfit she wore was imbued with Shinju's divine protection. While it could not compare with the ones used by the Heroes, it still allowed her to fight on even footing with the weakest enemy forces, the Stardust.

"It's here…!" Landing on the rooftop of an apartment, she looked back to the sea. Her eyes whipped to the left and right as one of the many results of the harsh training regimen she had gone through. Even if it was just her being paranoid, the habit she had learned calmed her down. "E-everyone, draw your weapons!"

The perimeter had been made. The line of defense was formed by stationing Sentinels in key points like a fishing net.

Along the coastline, green-uniformed youths equipped with tower shields and bayoneted rifles moved at once, changing their positions into firing stance with the barrels of their weapons aimed to the sea.

The leader of the Sentinels tried to stand firmly.

She felt her heart pounding in her ears. Was it her adrenaline, or was it her blood? She wasn't sure. She didn't have the time to make certain of it.

 _I have to do this,_ the girl no older than a fresh middle-school graduate told herself. Her left hand trembled as she moved it on the place her heart resided in. The girl gulped down and inhaled deeply.

 _Calm down. Calm down. Remember your training. Remember the lessons you were taught—_

"...Before, there was a powerful barrier working to isolate the enemy from ruining the land," she recited. "But now, Shinju-sama's power has weakened. Humanity is running out of time, and… and us Sentinels are formed to find a solution for that."

Yes. Yes, that was it. Good, she didn't forget anything. She could do it. Her seniors and friends had helped her. Her close friend was similar to her, so she knew. She understood that there was nothing wrong with feeling anxious.

However… that didn't mean she could crumble. _Not here, not now…!_

"I didn't… I didn't sign up for this just to hide and cower…" The girl glared ahead and recognized dots of white appearing right above the Walls barricading Shimane's sea from the Outside. "...Kh! T-take aim!"

As she shouted, the girl raised her right hand toward the sky. Silence permeated. Only the sounds of the ocean waves crashing into the beach could be heard. At first the dreadful silence began to choke on her—

Then _they_ screamed.

Countless bestial screams shook the heavens and earth. Chills ran down her spine, her heart rate rose as the otherworldly beasts painted the blue horizon pure white.

The girl couldn't stop her teeth from chattering. Every single cell in her body screamed in terror, her self-preservation instinct wrestling with her conviction in utter desperation.

She had to escape. She could move away and retreat.

A Sentinel's job was never to be on the offensive. She and her comrades' role was never at the frontline.

She was afraid. She admitted that she was a coward. She did not have the same willpower the Heroes she had seen in records have, and there was no way for ordinary people like her to catch up with them. She wasn't a flower, just a grass with no beauty or grace. She could wait out for the reinforcement to come and everything would return to normal.

 _Even so… I…_

"...can't run away…"

Her hand was trembling. Everyone was waiting with bated breath. The people behind her had yet to finish evacuating, and the girl knew that her family and classmates were among them.

Was it right for her to abandon her home?

"I can't run away…!"

The army of the destroyers entered their range.

The girl gasped, and she swung her arm down.

"...Fire!"

With that signal, Shimane's defensive battle began.


	5. Chapter 5 - Blades of Grasses

Bullets of light flew.

Striking true at their targets, they pierced through the bug-shaped Vertexes. Some detonated and consumed the white monsters in burning conflagration while others missed their aims. Even so, the barrage was more than enough to create a veil of crimson flame right above the East Sea.

Incredible noise filled the air, overpowering even the ocean waves.

There was no sign of the attack stopping. The Sentinels were taught to not give their enemy mercy. They couldn't afford to be kind, not with the safety of their loved ones at stake. But eventually…

"They're coming!"

The white monsters that survived reached the shores, deftly avoiding the volley of bullets. The girl leading the attack widened her eyes in shock; the Vertexes had learned the Sentinels' shooting patterns!

"Squad B and C, draw your shields and bayonets!" The designated leader of Shimane's Sentinel units yelled. "Squad B, protect Squad A! Squad C, go and subdue any that hits the beach!"

It was a race against time.

Luck had no part in this. The advantages Sentinels had were the terrains and combat range, but there was nothing else to support them. Only thirty-two Sentinels were stationed in Shimane, and even then, over half of them had yet to experience live combat.

The inexperienced units took their times to think of what to do, and many squads were delayed because of the tension reigning their bodies and minds. Military forces would laugh and yell at them for being so slow and unprofessional.

 _Even so…!_

Inexperience was a given. Training could only do so much. The Heroes they had seen through recordings were naturally gifted people capable of winning against all odds. Not everyone could be like the legendary warriors who had defended the country in these trying times.

"But that… doesn't mean we cannot do anything…!"

It was fine even if they were delayed. Naivety was a given for those who had never known what it meant to risk their lives. Weakness was something everyone had.

 _We can still improve ourselves despite our shortcomings…!_

Telling herself that, the leader jumped down from the apartment rooftop. She landed a few hundred meters away from the closest firing squad and plunged ahead as a dozen Stardust lunged forward like cannonballs.

The rifle in her hand flashed, the extended bayonet drawing an arc that sliced through three Stardusts. The slain monsters dissolved into white sand and released strands of colorful light to the sky, but the girl moved further to strike down her next enemy.

"C-captain…!" Her comrade shouted, relief gushing out of her cracked voice.

"Don't stop moving!" The captain yelled back. "Squad A, retreat to the second defensive line! Secure firing position and shoot at the Stardusts again!"

A screech was heard. Six Stardusts flew from all direction, trapping her with the clear intention to shred her apart.

The girl flinched, yet she bit her lips and leaped forward. Her tower shield ramming ahead, the girl forcibly created an opening by shield-bashing a Stardust. A desperate roar escaped her lips, and her other arm moved, her bayoneted rifle stabbing into the mouth of the giant monster.

At the sickening resistance she had felt, her index finger pulled the trigger.

An explosion erupted in front of her. The heavy mass blocking her path crumbled into glowing sand, and after stumbling forward, she turned around–coming to face with five other Stardusts who had already launched themselves at her.

The Sentinel immediately raised her shield. She felt the blow hammering through, the tower shield shooting back with its upper part hitting her helmet, and sent her flying.

"Aakh!?"

Hitting the street below, her back struck the concrete pavement, and her shoulder scraped through a carpet of pebbles and dirt. A scorching heat like no other burned her body from within, and her limbs ached even with the limited protection her combat uniform gave to her.

After her body bounced off the road several times, it soon came to a sliding stop. Shadows loomed from above. The girl jerked her head a little before she rolled to the side, dodging Stardusts that tried to crush her with their combined weight.

Even as ringing noise filled her head, the girl stood back up and fired upon the Vertexes. She destroyed her enemies as she distanced herself from them, but the sensors installed on her headgear detected more enemies approaching.

 _Above…!?_

Without delay, the Sentinel leaped toward the beach. Her priority was the safety of the townspeople. Thus, her decision would draw away dangers from her comrades, families, and all the people who had pegged their hope in her.

"Squad A, take the higher grounds!"

She ran.

The girl ran as rays of light crossed the sky above her. Dancing on the boundary of life and death, the girl shouted orders as she fought with all of her might. Her bayonet flashed and sliced the beasts hungering for human's flesh. Her tower shield rose and knocked off monsters trying to kill and devour her. Seconds blurred and time became a foreign concept as if the world had slowed down.

Run. Run. Run and fight for your life.

One after another, Stardusts fell and scatter into piles of sand. Shouts and cries echoed throughout the coastline, and the earth rumbled with unnatural tremors. As the battle progressed, the anxiety and tensions restricting the Sentinels loosened. Foot Soldiers armed with godly weapons moved in harmony as they exterminated the enemies of the world better than before, and the leader of the Sentinels understood.

 _We can win this…!_

As the Sentinel looked back to her allies, the terrible sound of an alarm blared through the communication devices of all Sentinels of Shimane. She knew that sound. She was familiar with it to the point of praying that she would never hear it in this kind of situation.

"No—!"

A ray of golden light flashed into existence above the Walls, and suddenly a skyscraper far behind the coastline collapsed, pulverized into scattering slabs of debris.

* * *

A Sentinel stood on the roof of a house.

She glimpsed something. She identified a blue-white, ring-shaped _thing_ floating above the Walls. As it began advancing, what seemed to be its face slid open like an opening mouth, and from within that black void, a golden needle manifested.

"T-that's…" Someone gasped in dawning horror. "The Constellation strain… Sagittarius!"

Chills ran down her spine, yet as if it wasn't enough of a surprise, a second face, situated right above the one with a needle within its mouth, split open. At first, there was nothing–then the second face spat out millions of red needles of light to the sky.

"Take cover!"

She nearly missed her leader's frantic order. The Sentinel summoned her tower shield right above her and kneeled on one knee.

Just as expected, a rain of arrows showered the coastline. The world seemed to no longer matter as she felt powerful blows striking against her shield, hammering down with the clear intention to crush her. Sounds were lost.

Beneath the shadows of the shield, the Sentinel gasped for air–then she discovered an oddity through her visor.

 _Why… why are the Stardusts advancing?_

The Sentinels were under intense attack, but everyone had successfully defended themselves. Thankfully, the range wasn't very far so only the coastline was ruined, and there were no other companions to the Sagittarius.

The wide-area attack would damage only the Vertexes– _unless…!_

"C-captain!" The girl shouted as she tried to move, only to be stopped from the intensifying rain of needles. "Captain, run...!"

* * *

The leader took notice a second too late.

Before she knew it, hundreds of Stardust had ambushed her. Needles were jutting out of their bodies, yet they shrugged them off, wriggling like insects cloaked in thorns. The girl found herself being singled out from those who had followed her lead in the same situation.

"Ah…"

Bad.

It was bad. She had no way to escape or retaliate. Her arms were preoccupied with supporting her tower shield. If she were to abandon her position and her defensive measure, she would turn into a pincushion before getting shredded apart by the Stardust. She was cornered.

 _But what about her?_

The girl looked over her shoulder. A wounded Sentinel knelt on the ground, clutching her side from which a dark red spot expanded, drenching and tainting the fabric of her combat uniform.

 _...What about this girl?_

The leader held her breath. It felt as if time had stood still, but she came to a decision. The girl raised her head, her left hand pulling back from the handle of her tower shield. Her wounded ally gasped as her empty hand summoned a bayoneted rifle, even as the power striking at the shield began eating into it.

"...No one will die…"

That was their sworn oath.

That was their first lesson.

That was their command, given by those who wished to change this hopeless world.

"No one is allowed to die…!"

The Sentinel took aim and fired at a Stardust. Shifting the rifle to the side, she shot down the next target with frightening precision. Sparks and mist scattered, the rifle roared as the gun barrel gathered heat which reddened its tip, but the leader didn't stop fueling her weapon with the divine power provided to her.

Unceasing gunfire resounded through the rains of light. Their enemy continued to fly in, approaching only to fall one after another. The rondo went on until the rain of needles came to a stop.

At the end of it, what was left on the beach were merely sharp pillars of light and ascending wisps of light. The shield bearers moved away from their defensive equipment, the gunners released their stance and their gazes gathered on the leader whose shoulders quaked roughly.

Wounds covered her body, her shield damaged beyond repair with needles as thick as telephone post stuck in it. A few of the holes proved that some needles had pierced through, but the wounded Sentinel on her feet did not receive any of it.

"Cap...tain…"

The Sentinel leader grunted. Staggering forward, she would have fallen to the ground had she not rebalanced herself at the last second. Crimson fluid dribbled down her wounds as the needles of light on her back and left shoulder shattered into fragments of light, and the girl loudly inhaled—

"Stay back!"

The Sentinel raised her rifle and fired.

As if responding to her words, a star shone above the Walls. The light grew and flew toward the beach, intercepted far before anyone could take notice of it.

A sound of destruction shook the air. A blast of heat and shockwave rattled the beach as the bullet round of the Sentinel burst while the Sagittarius's arrow flew in a different direction, crashing into the shore instead of hitting the beach. A pillar of water ascended, winds blew away the sands while utility poles groaned as power lines waved and snapped.

Before the Sentinels could fully recover, the Sagittarius had already reloaded another arrow. It fired again with air-rending sound. The Sentinel leader's eyes widened as a blinding light filled her vision—

"Sorry, this is our turn now~"

A light-hearted voice echoed–and enormous petals of flowers suddenly flourished right before the Sentinel leader's eyes.

The collision was unavoidable. A roar akin to a powerful explosion erupted, and hot winds slipped through the flower-shaped shield along with jet-black smokes.

However, the Sentinels were all protected. They were safe, and so was the girl who had taken so many wounds it wouldn't have been a surprise for her to pass out.

A robe descended. White and purple filled her eyes as a veil of shining golden wheat-colored hair cascaded down, swaying gently in the winds. She recognized that figure from recordings, and a name spilled out of her lips with a mixture of emotions.

How? Why now?

The girl looked back and smiled, her eyes narrowing with a gentle warmth that eased the burdens on the Sentinel's shoulders. Her lips parted open, and then…

"Don't worry," Nogi Sonoko said. "It's alright now, so you can leave the rest to us."

* * *

 _She really likes showing off, huh?_

Karin sighed. She shook her head at her friend's antics, but then again, it was hard to convince Sonoko to do follow orders. Not that she was belligerent or something, but without Tougou around, Sonoko was as difficult as a wild horse to rein in.

 _At least that guy's around…_

Looking up from the rooftop of an apartment building where many gun-wielding Sentinels had retreated to, Karin thought of what he had said and omitted. His poor acting aside, he really was using what he knew to the point of irritating her.

 _I swear… if he tried to dodge the issue, I'm going to sic Yuuna on him._

That way, he wouldn't be able to refuse.

Karin knew all too well about the boy's feelings. He was as obvious as the resident redhead of the Hero Club, but he was showing it off in a subtler way. It made Karin feel like he was trying too hard even though all he needed to do was being upfront about it, and it somehow irritated her in a different way. Maybe it's because of his spinelessness. Also, his lame acting was too stupid to bear.

"Ugh. What the heck am I thinking during this kind of situation..." Karin scratched her head. After noticing the curious glances she had received from behind her, the girl expelled a sigh and let down her arms. "...Well, time to do this."

 _You can do this,_ the Hero clad in red told herself. _This is the day where everything begins anew._

Spreading her arms to the side, Karin summoned a dozen swords. A row of katanas expanded horizontally before their blades stabbed into the rooftop.

"Anyone that feels like throwing these things can do it," Karin announced to the Sentinels… to the next generation of Heroes. "They will explode on impact when thrown, so you can use them as grenades. Don't do it when the enemy is too close."

With that said…

"If you still have the energy to spare, get up and fight!" Karin flashed a grin before she leaped off the rooftop. "We're going to win this. Stop thinking you're already finished!"

As the girl soared, she sensed their presences. Spirits burned in their roars, of courage and competitiveness, sense of camaraderie and worry, but not without fear and the will to do their best. What they wanted was conveyed to Karin, and the girl understood it very well.

 _So these ones are my kouhais, huh…?_

Karin chuckled. Even though they seemed unreliable, they have potentials; definitely Hero materials as that guy had said. And they would be the Hero Club's successors…

 _I sure have a future I'm really looking forward to._

* * *

Issei floated in the sky.

He used his wings to stay afloat. Since he had become Ddraig's spawn, he could naturally use a dragon's racial abilities as if it was normal. Not without difficulties, of course, considering how he sometimes staggered while trying to keep himself hovering at the same altitude.

Not even three years of daily exercise could help him gaining what dragons believed as a reflexive response. As always, the lack of mastery and progress over his skills frustrated Issei to no end.

 _But I can't rush myself…_

Nodding, Issei looked from the Vertex that seemed to have no idea on what to do. Sonoko's appearance must have confused it, and Karin had entered the fray, creating many new elements to calculate. For a lone Vertex, this would be checkmate.

[But you don't think it will be so easy, right?] Ddraig snorted in amusement and pride. [You're not wrong. This is a war, after all.]

As if their enemy had heard his words, a ripple in the air appeared behind the Sagittarius. Not only that, _multiple ripples_ appeared and several giant forms phased into existence. One was a balloon-like thing that seemed to be expanding as seconds went by, and the other was a familiar red monster resembling a shrimp with geometrical plates surrounding it.

"Cancer, and…" Issei hummed in wonderment. "...A new strain. That looks dangerous as hell."

[It seems to be gathering energy inside its body,] Ddraig paused. [...Looks to be bad news if left alone. You better kill it as fast as you can.]

 _Planning to do just that._

Issei rolled his left shoulder and spun his left arm. The familiar red gauntlet released a series of sound like that of keys rattling together, and the jewel installed on the back of the hand glowed with the Roman numeral for 10.

"...Now, then…" Issei erased all expression from his face as his emerald green eyes glared down. "Let's beat these things up. I want to eat Fuu-senpai's bento before it gets cold."

[Hah! I like how you're growing greedy like I once was, partner.]

"Shut up," Issei snapped back. "What kind of guy wouldn't want to eat a girl's homemade lunch? Only dense-as-brick idiots wouldn't get the wonderfulness of having a girl cook extravagant meals for you." **  
**

* * *

A gentle breeze entered a shrine.

The main hall of Fushimi-Inari Taisha had been occupied by a group of people. At the center of the hall, a giant crystal orb sat on a purple cushion and glowed with blue radiance; its content shifting around like a disturbed water surface. Waves appeared, flowing and swirling as a variety of colors emerged from the depth of the strange, fog-like substance contained in the orb. After a few moments, a moving image appeared. A feat that could only be achieved through technology was replicated through occultism, inspiring sounds of awe from the people who were observing the orb.

Said people being the leftover members of the Hero Club.

"Huh… this is amazing!" Yuuna clapped her hands repeatedly as bright light twinkled in her eyes. "Say, how does this even work, Hyoudou-otou-san?"

The person sitting across from her merely smiled. A man in white robe rubbed his chin as he nodded.

"This is a Seer Orb," Hyoudou Ichiro answered. "It's a magical alternative to live feed broadcast. It can be used for video call as well, but this one is enhanced for observation purpose, so don't expect those observed to respond to us."

The red-haired girl once again released an impressed sound. It reminded the man of the days where he would be surprised and amazed by everything. Come to think of it, the first thing he got excited back then was being in love, wasn't it?

 _Hmm… I should call Kanae after this, and maybe tell her we're going to be back later than scheduled._

Nodding at his plan, Ichiro folded his arms. But when he did that, he noticed his son's friend looking as if she was in deep thought. It was easy to tell, considering how quiet Tougou Mimori was despite the lively atmosphere.

"...Is something wrong, Tougou-kun?" He asked.

"Well," the black-haired girl looked up and sighed. She placed a hand on her cheek and continued on, "This may count as an illegal espionage tool."

For some very odd reasons, Ichiro was glad he had yet to drink his tea. Had he just avoided a gruesome fate without noticing?!

"Tougou, calm down. You're jumping to weird conclusions already." From the other side of her best friend, Inubouzaki Fuu waved with an exasperated look. "Also, I'm pretty sure this isn't owned by Taisha. Right, Hyoudou-san?"

Oh, so she had noticed. Indeed, the Seer Orb was not something Taisha would ever consider as a good tool. While it didn't lose when it came to ability, it was impractical in design and required a person's magical power, which consequently meant it wasn't a convenient telecommunication device.

Telling the children that, they all clearly deflated as if having their dreams shattered. The head of the Hyoudou family laughed.

"While Taisha certainly does not use this device, this orb would be considered a luxury in the earlier time of the Old Era." Ichiro poured himself a cup of tea and picked up the mug with one hand. "We don't think it's special since our land still has electricity supplied through various means, and Shinju-sama is the one who blows winds, pump out natural springs, shine on the land, and let the rain falls."

"...I see." Tougou merely nodded, her expression showing nothing but absolute tranquility. "Yes, such is indeed the case. We are capable of living the way we are now solely because Shinju-sama has been providing us with abundant resources."

 _Unfortunately, that is._

Ichiro knew without saying it. He also didn't need to tell this girl, as that would be redundant.

 _She has a good head on her shoulders,_ the head of the Hyoudou household considered thoughtfully. It was a good thing that she was on good terms with his son, but even more than that, she might be able to speak out properly and decisively should there be something disagreeable. _Although there's her 'habit' to worry about…_

Lightly sighing, Ichiro pushed up the frame of his glasses and recomposed himself. He then heard a small laughter and turned his gaze sideways. There she was, cackling with a sound almost like the quiet barks of a fox; a slender woman with lustrous golden blond hair reminding him of the sun. The young woman in a white and red shrine maiden garb raised her folded fan to hide her curved up lips, but her eyes clearly narrowed in delight.

"Now I see," said the fox-like woman, amusement and glee never slipping off her soft voice. "You were not lying when you told me about the current generation of Heroes, Hyoudou-kun."

Ichiro reflexively scratched his head and hung it down a little. "Well, I do not know how else to describe them, _Ohime-sama_."

The shrine maiden laughed good-naturedly, but it drew the attention of the children in the room. Ichiro felt questioning gazes moving back and forth between him and his superior, and he felt his cheeks slacken somewhat.

"Aah, let me introduce you," gesturing with a hand, Ichiro looked to the shrine maiden. "This is Yasaka-hime, a very great and renowned person in Kyoto. She's the head priestess of the Yasaka shrine and the 'hime' part is a real title, so…"

"Eh?! She's a real princess!?" Yuuna half-shouted before her face glowed red upon realizing her sudden outburst. "Ah, uh! I-I'm… my apology!"

While Yasaka once again released her trademark laughter, Yuuna bowed down repeatedly. Her best friend, however, leaned forward a little and shifted her position to slightly face the woman. Tougou raised a hand.

"Umm, pardon my rudeness," Tougou paused. "But, having only 'Yasaka' as a name seems odd... "

When the blond-haired shrine maiden's shoulders quaked, it was because she had laughed. It was to the point of surprising and making the children uneasy, and Ichiro steeled himself at what was about to come.

"You are a curious child," Yasaka said. "Did the boy never tell you?"

"...Eh?"

Snapping her wrist, the folded fan unfurled open. The shrine maiden moved the fan away to reveal her smile, and it was then that a sudden change emerged.

From behind her back, a number of golden sashes spread outward. The children gasped as they realized that the sashes were not what they appeared to be. They were tails, nine in total, and the golden color came from the flawless animal fur those tails possessed.

An invisible pressure began to fill the honden and made it difficult to breathe for everyone, but the Hero Club members managed to endure it. As for Ichiro, it was far more bearable since he had expected this beforehand. Though saying that…

"If Issei hasn't told you, I will tell you, then." Sighing, the man shook his head at the extravagant show. Really, old people always liked to tease the young ones, huh? "Yasaka-hime is a nine-tailed fox. In other words, she is a youkai, and she is the ruler of Kyoto."

The youkai princess laughed as she lessened the presence she had. Closing her right eye, her left eye glowed with a shade of gold brighter than dawn, and it reflected the figures of the three Heroes.

"Ko ko. Now, do not be afraid. After all, it is about time for you to participate in the upcoming war."

"...What...?"

Yasaka nodded. "Indeed. One of you is not present at the moment, but besides her, both Yamata's inheritor and Karasu Tengu's ward have already been informed beforehand."

The youkai added 'although the latter case is more like the result of my intuition in regards to her intellect'. No one could catch that save for Ichiro. He dipped his head sagely. Even his son would do the same had he been around.

That girl was way too smart it was nearly impossible to determine her thinking patterns.

"We can talk at length another time." Yasaka raised her other hand and let her motion draw the focus of the Heroes. "For now, let us have a discussion. One which will inform you of your position and your authority, one which will become your guide throughout this tiring, long overdue war... "

 _And then,_ the princess whispered.

"The path you will pick to forge the future... Let us begin our first step here, children loved by the gods."


	6. Chapter 6 - Uninvited Leaf

"Well, despite saying that, I wish to know only one thing."

Folding her fan, the woman… no, the Youkai Yasaka narrowed her eyes. It alerted Yuuna, but what she felt was only a sense of discomfort caused by her scrutinizing gaze. The blonde priestess's smile gradually vanished, and yet it was in such a natural way that she almost did not notice.

The girl unconsciously pressed her right hand on her chest.

"...What… exactly do you want to know, Yasaka-san?" From next to her, Tougou asked.

The priestess responded after several moments had passed.

"Your resolution."

 _...Huh?_

As if reading her thoughts, Yasaka nodded and lowered her chin. "Hearing your tales from another person is different with hearing it coming straight from your mouth."

Yuuna could hear the winds shaking the trees outside the shrine hall. Shadows stretched and darkened due to all of the clouds that had begun to roll over and float in the sky above Kyoto. In the dimmed hall, the crystal orb situated in-between Yasaka and the Hero Club glowed like a beacon.

 _But what she said… has he told her about us…?_

Much to her surprise, Yasaka's smile grew impish. Yuuna gasped but it was too late.

"You are loved by a wonderful person," the priestess giggled, even as Yuuna felt her cheeks heating up. "Cherish that feeling well. In this trying time, you may never know what will happen. It is also why I would like to know your conviction."

"I… see."

After watching her nod, Yuuna fell silent.

Their resolution. Even though she knew the meaning of that word, for some reasons, Yuuna could not speak of it. It was strange, why would she not give an answer?

 _...Because it's a different matter?_

The girl raised her right hand. She stared at it, and a thought came to her: why was she fighting? She didn't want to see her friends crying. She just wished to be a hero and to be a friend she could be proud of. And… She wanted to protect everyone. She wished to defend the world that had allowed her to find happiness.

 _But is that all there is to it?_

Yasaka's words echoed in her mind. At first, Yuuna had no idea what to do, but gradually, she began to realize that there was something off with the entire situation she and her friends were in. Yuuna glanced back to confirm her suspicions, and the one holding the answer looked back at her.

"Ah…"

Her spilled word drew the attention of her best friend. Yuuna didn't react, however, as her mind swirled around a single question. The redhead raised her chin and met the Youkai princess's gaze.

"...Yasaka...san," Yuuna paused. "...Will you… will you tell us, what Issei-kun's resolution is?"

At first, silence dawned. It stretched and a sense of apprehension washed over everyone who was present in the main hall. But at some point, the golden-haired priestess breathed out, her smile waned, and her eyes narrowing in a mix of emotions that created discomfort in Yuuna's heart.

For some reasons, there was a thought that crossed her mind.

For some reasons, she knew what the answer was.

For some reasons, she imagined and knew what _that person_ would say the moment he was asked a similar question.

"That boy's resolve," Yasaka sighed, shaking her head. "The _Sekiryuutei_ wished for victory. He desired for the future–even if he must fight forever to obtain it."

* * *

The sky lit up.

Red bullets flew and tore apart the white clouds. Sounds followed only after they disappeared into the heavens, and even then, countless roars akin to detonating bombs spread above the sky of Shimane. The bullets of light chased after a small target. With his wings tucked in, the target streaked across the sky like a serpent swimming in the deep water, all while spewing blue jets from the thrusters on his back.

Issei moved as fast as he could, but there was too little gap he could use to break through the enemy's defense".

 _All the more reason to kill them…!_

[And how are you going to do that?] Ddraig shot back. [You can't use Balance Breaker, partner. It will be too flashy, and it will make the gods above aware of your power.]

In other words, it wasn't the right time.

He couldn't afford to lose. In this War, information was the key to defeat your enemy. Vertexes were the ultimate life-forms created from a stolen Longinus, and they were capable of sharing the information they had witnessed to improve themselves. It wasn't hard to expect said information being known by his enemy.

 _Ddraig, can I unwind a little bit?_

The dragon didn't answer right away.

[Don't go all-out,] Ddraig warned, even as something began to stir deep within Issei's soul, as if a rusted gear had started to spin. [Your body can now handle a ton of punishment, but it's not without limits. A single wrong step will be your certain defeat, partner.]

"More than enough for me."

Issei closed his eyes and inhaled. His heart throbbed loudly, his blood boiling as power courses within his veins. A sudden moment of clarity was brought forth and in that one instance—

" ** _Boost_**."

Flame burst forth from his left gauntlet, becoming a radiant crimson aura that engulfed the youth's entire body. The number displayed on the jewel adorning the Boosted Gear flashed, the count spiking and changing until it finally stopped at the value of L.

" ** _Explosion!"_**

The world suddenly slowed down. All sounds were lost, the winds became slow gusts, and within that fraction of a moment, Issei moved.

Plunging downward, the young man rocketed down like an arrow. At the same time, his Sacred Gear shone and words echoed off.

[Purging outer armors!]

Hisses of steam and scattering parts of armors followed. This allowed Issei to minimize air resistance and gained more speed. His body accelerated through the roaring air like a bullet as he dived into the hail of amber-colored arrows of light.

Faster. Even faster. Pierce through the winds and reach it.

"OoooooOOOOOHHH!"

Issei raised his left arm. His gauntlet expanded, armor plates growing with iron scales which formed into a giant hammer.

He swung his fist down–and the Sagittarius broke in halves as if it was detonated from the inside.

[Now, partner!]

Issei gritted his teeth and rotated his body. The g-force pulled him, twisting his insides in the most unpleasant way possible. His bones creaked, his joints shuddering along with his muscles, and he felt some of his blood vessels bursting.

Even still, Issei ejected jets from his boosters and spun around. He flew towards Cancer, his knuckle flying as he dodged the mirror plates like a streaking lightning.

The second his attack landed, another Vertex burst, dissolving into white sand.

Plowing through the wisps of light, Issei spread his wings and somersaulted. He blinked, ignoring how the world had turned upside-down in his sight and extended his left arm forward.

"Dragon Shot!"

A green orb emerged on his palm before it shot out as a blast of energy. Tearing the winds apart, the energy blast crossed the air and pierced through the lantern-like Vertex.

[Tch, that didn't hit the core…!]

Issei widened his eyes at Ddraig's remark.

When he reoriented himself, he was indeed forced to accept that he had failed to destroy the last enemy. It had a hole through its body, but it didn't crumble into white sands–meaning he had failed to destroy the enemy's Soul.

The newest Vertex strain then floated up, carried by the winds as if it was a piece of paper. It made it out of his range in such a speed that he couldn't help but be stunned by how incredibly _light_ the strange Vertex was.

Ddraig's snarl snapped him back to reality, but it was already too late. A yellow orb suddenly blurred from the side and smashed Issei aside. His body flew and slid over the surface of the Walls.

"Agh…! Kha!" he coughed blood, his right hand holding his bleeding arm. His green eyes searched for the culprit only for them to reflect the figure of a familiar being with a stinger. "Scorpio… Another reinforcement…!?"

Since when? How? He didn't detect anything until he was hit. Issei had no idea how a fourth enemy could suddenly appear without moving so fast it went unnoticed. He had heard the Gemini was particularly made for that purpose, but something as large as Scorpio wouldn't be able to do that, unless...

 _This Vertex has been standing by right outside the Walls?!_

The Scorpio moved. Issei was forced to take away his focus from the escaping Vertex, and concentrated on avoiding Scorpio's poisonous stinger. The tail contracted, extended, and whipped around, its the stinger swinging and spitting corrosive liquids as if trying to keep Issei at bay.

Then he felt something shaking within his mind.

Issei raised his head to see the sky, and he swallowed his next words. In the sky of Shimane, the lantern-like Vertex had grown in size. It now looked like several zeppelins grouped together. When the flat bottom of the incorrigibly enormous Vertex opened up in the center, some things fell from it.

They fell along the shore into the mainland. With a quiet whistle, they descended and struck be it the sea or the land.

A second passed before blinding light engulfed the areas they had struck. A chain of roars burst as rampaging pillars of flame exploded. The flame stretched and undulated, going on and on, spreading destruction in their wake.

It was an aerial bombing.

* * *

Flames roared. The townscape was painted in deep red, yellow and black carnage. Heat permeated as burning winds spread throughout the area, carrying hazes that inflicted more and more damage to the surroundings.

However, something burst out of the razed townscape.

Petals of light cascaded, spinning as they formed the crown of a flower that extended far and wide, covering over half of the seaside town. A Sentinel gasped, staring wide-eyed at a certain Heiress of the Nogi family.

"That… was close," the girl said, sounding as if she was heaving after sprinting at full-tilt. "...But this won't last."

Her words sent chills down her spine.

The Sentinel was about to speak when someone walked ahead, past the blonde Hero with a steady gait. And that girl who was another Hero merely snorted in displeasure.

"Good job Sonoko," said Miyoshi Karin. "Just leave the rest to me. It's not like you can lift the shield without letting some fire drop down."

"Ah, so you noticed the bombs have a liquid fire." Nogi Sonoko smiled wryly and sighed. "I'll leave it to you then, Nibosshi."

"Like I said, don't call me that."

Shaking her head, the Hero clad in red breathed out. Then with a single step, Karin jumped over a house, chaining her movement and momentum to take the higher grounds until she landed atop a transmission tower.

It was then a large shadow blurred under the magenta flower-shaped shield. Resembling an arrowhead, it soared while leaving behind azure contrails. A hundred-meter construct was dragged along by it and the arrow dropped it down.

A blood-curdling roar was released from the gigantic construct. It had appendages of some sort and it whipped at the arrow–only for it to be sliced in halves alongside the rest of its body.

The Sentinel realized the sliced construct was a Vertex, but she could only know that far as it crumbled into white sand. Overcame by stunned daze, the wounded warrior watched as black blur soared, its scale-covered body gleaming with a dark crimson color. It curved before it dove down towards the Hero standing atop the transmission tower.

What was it doing?!

"Nibosshi, you really like showing off to your kouhais, huh~"

The red-clad Hero shot up and landed on the unidentified object, both of them flying off towards the sky. One of the light-construct flower petals floated away slightly and they vanished into the crack, plunging straight into the thick smog and hazes.

There was a brief and very awkward silence.

"What… what was that?" Someone asked, her question echoing off the shocked Sentinel's thought.

Seeking for an answer, they turned to the Hero who had chosen to stay behind.

Nogi Sonoko looked back to the Sentinels as she formed a teasing smile.

"Well," said she. "That is Han-kun. He's the manager of our Hero System~"

"...What?"

"Also, he's a Dragon God so don't anger him, okay?"

"...What!?"

* * *

The dense smokes would have suffocated Karin had she not received the divine protection of both her fairy and Issei. Even still, it was difficult to breathe or even see ahead.

 _But above all that…_

The dragon… or rather, the boy who was her classmate didn't answer. He simply flew and accelerated, aiming to break through the smokes as fast as possible.

Karin understood why. She could feel a sinister red aura covering the armor plates of the boy, and she felt the hairs on her skin standing up just by trying to sense his emotions.

"...You dumbass."

It wasn't his fault that he didn't notice the capability of the new strain. No one expected something like that to exist, not even Taisha or even that muscle-headed warrior from a foreign land.

Besides, who would ever think the monsters sent by the gods would employ humanity's warfare tactics? If they had used them from the beginning of the War, mankind would have long been wiped out.

Grinding her teeth, Karin spat out and stomped on the dragon's back. She heard a surprised grunt and he raised his head only for Karin to hit the headgear with the back of her sword.

"Ow! What… what was that for, Karin-chan!?"

"Shut up! Look ahead, you idiot!" Karin yelled back and witnessed the blue sky beyond the smokes. Her enhanced vision caught sight of the enemy and she drew out a second sword. "Get ready! I'm going to kill you if you can't fight with the right mindset!"

"T-that's tyranny! Why would you do that!?"

"Fine! I'll kill you three times over after this!"

Karin ignored Issei's whining. The dragon flew past the lantern, but she noticed their enemy flying away. Seems like it didn't have any other capability besides bombing—

"We can defeat it!" Karin threw several swords upon the Vertex. With a will, they all exploded on contact and Karin jumped down. "Match my timing, Issei!"

"Aagh…! Always doing whatever you want!"

It was too late to complain. Karin snorted and spun in midair. Clenching her teeth tightly, she swung down her sword and carved a gash on the Vertex's side. Like a torn hot air balloon, the monster lost balance and dragged Karin along whose sword was still stuck on it.

 _Like hell you're going to escape…!_

The Hero raised and stabbed her other sword into the Vertex. When she let go of them, she felt the winds taking her away, but she snapped her fingers and the swords embedded in the Vertex's body exploded, bringing it down to the sea.

"Karin-chan!"

Detecting a familiar presence, Karin grunted.

She flipped once in midair, landed on Issei's back again, and held onto the jutting part of his armor where something resembling a dragon tail came out of.

She glared ahead as she shouted, "Go! Chase it down!"

Without saying anything, Issei complied to her command. Karin felt the wind resistance impacting her face, but it was fine. This wasn't a problem. She could endure this!

"Hang on tight, Karin-chan!"

The scenery blurred. The world became so loud it was almost impossible to discern her own heartbeat, but Karin withstood it all as the two quickly reached the fallen Vertex. It was on the base of the Walls with white roots and concretes falling off its body. Its appendages were dipped into the sea, a third of its body gone from Karin's attacks, but signs of regeneration began to appear.

 _Oh no, you don't!_

Summoning a sword, Karin threw it at the spot below the Vertex. A white diagram emerged beneath it and Karin announced, "Beginning Sealing Ritual!"

The Vertex froze. As white light washed over it, red flower petals flourished out of the diagrams and danced. They swirled, surrounding the Vertex as its upper body began to open a hole from which a tetrahedron object emerged.

That was the Mitama–the Soul of the Vertex.

"Break it apart, Issei!"

Karin threw a sword which struck the object, and she jumped off Issei. Green energy orb appeared on the boy's palm as he roared.

"Dragon Shot!"

As the sword detonated at her sign, a blast of destructive force consumed the core of the destroyer. Definite cracking sounds like shattered glass echoed, but it wasn't enough.

 _Here I come…!_

Karin who had already anticipated this outcome descended down. Falling like a shooting star, the girl brandished her twin swords and slashed down at the Mitama.

Crisscrossing wounds were carved through the tetrahedron object. As Karin landed atop an arched white tree root, the Mitama finally broke down, crumbling into white sands as colorful wisps of light ascended to the heavens.

"Hmph," Karin grunted. Closing an eye, she looked back and watched on as her classmate touched down nearby. "Enemy annihilated. Can I have my victory rewards, now?"

From within his armors, Issei could do nothing but to laugh in resignation.

* * *

The noise in the sky and on the earth had died down.

It wasn't as though nothing was left. The noise in the city was that of people and vehicles. Of all things, machines and magic were woven atop each other, creating concerted efforts to repair the damaged town. Judging from those involved in it, the rumors and the reports he had read matched up.

"What an astounding sight," a youth said, nodding down even as hundreds of thoughts clashed within his mind. "Not only the inhabitants of this land coexist in peace, the level of civilization matches with those described in lost records. This is almost like traveling back in time... no, a paradise."

Miraculous couldn't even describe it. Vertexes' invasion had reset the entire world into its primordial state, that of a hellish and scorched wasteland. Even with the power of the divine, to live just like the people of the Old Era was nearly impossible. Every land he had visited displayed no such thing as full restoration, and even though there were those that almost matched it, complete preservation of the old civilization was unheard of.

But he couldn't let himself indulge his intellectual thirst any more than this.

Imposing self-restraint, he held back the urge to explore this Far Eastern Ark. He couldn't afford to be detected by the rulers of this land. His gamble had paid off, yet it had also invited the Vertexes into this exotic treasure trove. If he could, he would have liked to contact the nearest authority force to give some form of compensation...

 _"Don't be so disheartened,"_ a voice entered his hearing range. Even though no one was by his side, it felt as if the speaker was speaking from behind him. _"This is our first contact. It's not perfect, but I have no doubt we will be visiting this place again."  
_  
"...I suppose so." The youth in a robe turned his back on the Ark. "This recon job is a bloody pain in the ass."

He could hear a mean-spirited laughter from the other side of the telepathic link. It was irritating like always, but it was welcome. Not even the Great Leader could hide his excitement. The way he laughed resembled that of a child who was told he could buy any toy he had yearned for years.

 _But I'm the same,_ the hunter of the past reflected. Even as he glanced back, a smile bloomed on his face and he pushed up his glasses. _If we can gain the cooperation of this land, then taking back the world will no longer be a pipe dream.  
_  
"At long last... we have enough weapons to rebel against the gods."

Chuckling at his own words, the magician walked towards the Outside World.

He was only a step away from leaving the barrier, but the fabric of reality suddenly rippled. Space twisted, distorted, and expanded a gap into the void. Deep within the hole that punctured through the local space-time axis, a muddled light akin to a lighthouse seen within a foggy night existed.

Entering the gate that would connect two Arks as long as he willed it, the user of Dimension Lost returned to his current home.


	7. Chapter 7 - Buds of Resolution

Fuu didn't know if she should sigh in exasperation or drop her jaw in shock.

It was not that she was clueless. A swirl of emotions erupted and clashed within her that made sure she couldn't focus on anything at all. She had expected that boy to do something reckless, but never to this extent. Was he alright in the head? He was thinking of everyone, the world, and the future. But the step he chose to take lacked any thought whatsoever. Why would he decide something so important all by himself?

 _...Well, he's not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed._

He probably thought that everything would be alright. He probably believed that he could accomplish everything on his task list all at once. He also probably didn't mind failure if he could safeguard everyone's happiness as quickly as possible. Hell, while all of his friends were not paying attention to him, Issei must have consulted with his parents.

"That stupid… imbecile, hot-headed, perverted lizard…" Fuu pinched and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I got careless. Should've expected that twat to do something like that."

"...Eh?"

Blinking, Fuu realized that all eyes had gathered on her. She unashamedly laughed–though it sounded like something coming out of a broken cassette–and coughed into her fist.

 _Get back to the topic, you idiot!_

After scolding herself, Fuu straightened her back. "W-well! I can totally see that one of our club members couldn't stop running his mouth off."

"Oh?" Yasaka tilted her head. "Do you disagree with his decision?"

 _Eh, how did this come to that?!_

"N-not at all!" Fuu raised and waved frantically. "I mean, there's… there's nothing wrong with wanting a better future! But it's just…"

"That burden is too heavy to be carried alone," Yasaka finished. She closed her eye and placed her fan in front of her lips, thus concealing her entire expression from Fuu's view. "Would that be correct? Do you believe he is incapable of shouldering the survival and future of this world?"

Fuu parted her lips, but no word could leave her mouth. Falling silent, she felt a headache forming, but there was no simple way to remedy it. What was she supposed to say anyway? Agreeing with that assumption would mean she had no faith in her junior. At the same time, if she denied it, Yasaka would definitely smile and tell her there was no problem.

No matter how much she racked her brain over it, there was just no way for her to escape this situation…!

"...It's not right."

 _...Ah?_ Hearing those three words that held no hesitation, Fuu rotated her head, catching her junior with a countenance she could not recognize. Why?

Because it was _Yuuna_ who had expressly rejected Yasaka's words.

Responding with narrowed eyes, Yasaka folded her fan with a solid _click_.

"Is it? Will you elaborate why, young lady?"

As the center of attention, Yuuna could be seen visibly swallowing a lump. Her shoulders tensed, and so did both of her arms. She shifted her position and clenched her hands that were pressed strongly on her thighs, yet her eyes never once wavered as she exchanged gazes with the Youkai Princess.

And then—

"Issei-kun has already suffered more than enough," Yuuna said. "He was hurt in our stead, trained so hard to help us, cried for us, and sacrificed his humanity because he couldn't acknowledge our fate."

 _That is why,_ Yuuna whispered. As she placed a hand on her chest, on top of where her heart resided in, a bright light glowed in her red eyes. Shining like a beacon, burning with brilliance.

"...If," Yuuna paused. "...If he wants to change this world. If the future is what he wants to see… then we will help him realize that dream."

A sudden silence washed over the main seemed as if it had died down for several moments. But that silence was broken by a single voice.

"And tell me..." Yasaka–the golden-haired priestess–asked, "What drives you to go that far? What is pushing you to pick that decision, despite realizing how perilous the path laid out before your eyes are?"

What was the reason? Fuu internalized the question the Celestial Fox gave, and Yuuna acknowledged it. The girl nodded her head as she slowly inhaled.

"I am…" Yuuna steadied her gaze. "I am Yuuki Yuuna, a member of a Hero Club. Our club's purpose is to help everyone…"

Before anyone could speak, the girl added a 'but' in her sentence.

"That isn't all," Yuuna spoke aloud. "...I will help Issei-kun, because he is my friend, and because I want to stand by his side."

Fuu held her breath. As she gazed upon her junior, the red-haired girl announced her main reason to all who was present in the shrine hall. The conviction she didn't know Yuuna had. The dream she realized she had never heard coming out of her lips. An innocent dream that made her heart tremble simply because of its simplicity and nobility...

"We will fight together to reach our own dream."

Really, her junior was such a Hero.

* * *

Despite the strength and capability of the enemies of humanity, there are still times when they had to pause in their assaults. For those who took up the arms, it means a time to resupply and tend to their wounded.

Inside the spacious _kagura-den_ of Izumo-Taisha, people went about doing their business. The majority of them were teenagers and a few of them were masked priestesses who tirelessly moved around with carts full of medical supply. Sounds of chatters filled the air, but many of them were complaints and pained groans.

"Here it comes."

Slapping the band-aid on her junior's back, Karin watched the girl yelp and squirm in place. Her torso was covered with nothing but bandages and ointment, and a few exposed areas were decorated with blue of bruises.

 _These girls are way too reckless…_

"Whoever thought you lots are ready for battle needs a beating," Karin snipped while promptly ignoring the flinching figures of the Taisha priestesses nearby. "Don't move without thinking. There's more than one way to achieve victory, make sure to cram battle tactics in your head."

"Auuh… y-yes ma'am…"

"Same goes for your squadmates," the brunette added. "If you can't make up your mind, you might as well return your terminals. No one wants to see you die."

Karin wondered if they understood that, but she sensed someone shifting in place and looked over her shoulders. She saw a girl with a crutch, dressed in a robe that helped hide her bandaged abdomen. She looked intently at Karin.

"...But," the girl said. "This is war. We have to be prepared for any scenario…*

"That doesn't mean you should throw away your life for victory."

Karin sighed. Was she being too harsh? She couldn't help but chide herself for replying so quickly and bluntly, but she knew that she must say it aloud. If it wasn't now, when would be the right time for it?

"It's true that we are at war," Karin paused. "It's also true that if we lose, then our world will be no more. But if you ignored your own life, your own happiness… then there's no point."

"...Why? How can you say that?"

Karin gauged the girl. She had a fine expression. There was a burning light in her eyes, and regardless of her irritation or hostility…

 _Yes, I can see Kusunoki's teaching instilled in her._

That applied to the rest of the Sentinels. Karin felt a shred of envy welling up, but it was easily overpowered by her acceptance. For a final score, they all passed with flying colors, thus—

"Sacrificing one thing to gain something is not heroic at all."

With a confident grin, Miyoshi Karin gave her juniors their first assignment.

* * *

The moon was finally out.

After everything was said and done, the seaside town continued on being filled with the noise of machine and construction tools. The artificial symphony filled the night, but it would soon die down. The townspeople knew better than to risk themselves, and it wasn't like they didn't need a long rest after the grueling battle.

[Unfortunately,] Ddraig noted. [That was just a skirmish. There's a new strain, but it's not like they went all-out with it.]

Issei nodded. As he walked through a corridor in Izumo-Taisha, he couldn't help but think about today's confrontation. If he was allowed to speak his thoughts out loud…

"This isn't looking good at all."

An image of a dragon nodding his head crossed his mind. [No doubt. It's one thing that the Constellations are back at full strength, those bastards watching from above are definitely producing new strains to intercept us.]

And here he thought everything would go smoothly… Issei wanted to tear his hair out, but he chose to keep his dignity and preserve his image. He couldn't let his guard down, now that his identity was known to the Sentinels. As a temporary manager of the Hero System, he had to be strict or else order would collapse.

 _If only Mebuki is here,_ Issei lamented. _She would put off any commotion as long as it's around her peers._

[She would be bringing in her own problems, though,] the giant western dragon inside his mind retorted. [You've never told her your reasons, and you ignore her completely when she tried to bait an answer out of you.]

Oh, shut up. Did Ddraig even know how it felt for _Issei_ who got himself labeled as a firing target for no reason at all? It wasn't fair. Why the hell would he favor his friends and choose them as Heroes?

"I don't even want the club involved again…" Issei groaned. A headache was about to form, but he decided to throw aside thinking in favor of looking outside. "...The moon doesn't look much different here."

He craned his head up. The sky was colored with a faint red. The shadows cast by the trees, the color of the shrine pillars, even the broken clouds had a deep shade of red, and the planet's satellite hanging in the starless sky was painted crimson.

An eternal blood moon.

It was like a picture taken straight from a horror film. And yet it didn't give any frightening impression, just eerie discomfort that felt as if the moon was looking down on earth. If the abyss had eyes, having it gaze back at you would be similar to this sensation.

"...Well, that's totally not ominous at all." Issei rubbed his left arm, feeling the goosebumps crawling on his skin. "If the gods are on the moon, would we need to build a rocket to get there?"

[Magic can easily do that, though I doubt the barking dogs up there didn't take account of that.]

True enough. If they could easily be attacked, the world wouldn't have become a scorching wasteland.

"...Haah, I should rest." Issei leaned on the railings and rubbed his temples.

While it didn't do him any good, the position helped him take some things off his mind. As a dragon, and as a Dragon God, he was burdened with numerous responsibilities. He had been prepared for that. He would rest for tonight, wake up early, negotiate with the local Taisha branch and offer compensation for the damages done in the area. Then he also needed to contact headquarter and the other Factions in the alliance, handing out written reports that could hopefully help them build a strategy to counter the Vertexes.

 _Not to mention I have to negotiate with that damned tree again…!_

For fuck's sake, why couldn't all organization-to-organization relationships be made simpler? All of this wasn't a job fit for a brat who was still sitting in the first year of high-school, god damn it…!

"Han-kun, what are you doing there?"

 _Nwah!?_ Issei abruptly lost his balance and almost fell over the railings. He swung his upper body forward and recovered, but the sudden action caused him to lean ahead too much. When he realized it, he had come face-to-face with a certain cloudcuckoolander.

"...Oh."

Issei blinked. His nose picked up the fragrance of a flower, and he felt a warm breath brushing past his cheek. Soon he realized his nose nearly touched Sonoko's, and he quickly became fully aware of their proximity.

Luckily or not, the blonde revealed a dopey smile. Her cheeks reddened a little as she raised her gloved hands and placed them together on his cheeks.

"Bam!" Sonoko cried out before she broke out a short giggle. "Heh he, you're letting your guards down too much! I caught you now!"

 _...Bwah, I feel like I've just lost my chance…_

[Don't be stupid.]

Ah? The heck did that mean, Ddraig? Issei tried probing for an answer, but the dragon tuned him out once again. _That shut-in lizard…!_

"…Han-kun?"

Issei blinked. He strutted but soon he realized he was confronted with a worried Sonoko. He felt ashamed of his lack of self-control now. _If I can't even deal with something that's happening in front of me, how am I supposed to change anything?_

The boy exasperated. He retreated and straightened his back. The warmth and scent on his cheeks lingered for a bit, but it was more than enough to calm him down. However, since he knew that wouldn't be enough, he raised his right hand and held his friend's hand.

 _This hand is so small and fragile, yet it has been burdened with so much pain._

"…I'm fine," Issei finally said. Even as he stared long at the familiar hand that comforted him throughout the past years. "Sorry. I just thought of taking a breath of fresh air."

"…I see."

Those two words rang hollow in the night air. Issei wondered if that was a good thing or not. Sonoko was sharp. She might not look like it, but she was said to be the leader back when she fought together with Gin and younger Tougou. As the heiress of the Nogi family, the old Taisha had labeled her the leader, but Issei couldn't imagine her being bossy and strict about things. _Her ancestor is a completely different case, though…_

"…Muh. Why do I feel like you're looking down on me?" Sonoko creased her eyebrows in slight irritation.

 _Ahahahahaa, what kind of person would come up with that sort of rude thing?!_ Issei was about to make up an excuse when he felt his hand pulled forward. Indeed, Sonoko had turned her back on him and started pulling, dragging him into the shrine with unexpected force.

"Eh? Huh? S-Sonoko-chan—"

"Shush. Let me reward you for your hard work today."

What? Reward? Issei was unable to comprehend the meaning of his friend's words until they reached the sleeping quarters reserved for Sonoko. Beyond a pair of sliding doors separating it from the inner sanctum corridor, a large and lavish room entered his sight. It was 8- _tatami_ wide with a wardrobe, a clothing stand, a small partition and a shin-height desk situated next to the wall.

The rectangular window gave ways for the moonlight to flood in, but Issei could recognize an _ofuda_ sticking on the frame, filtering the red light so as to alter it into the normal pale blue color he always knew. Forgetting his own situation, Issei was pulled down and before he knew it, his back had been laying in the comfort of the futon with his head resting on a warm, soft cushion…

"W-wait a moment…" The youth at the peak of puberty felt his mind screeching to a halt. "Isn't this the legendary lap pill— _ow!?_ "

His forehead received a light karate-chop. Why?!

"Han-kun, it's already nearing midnight. You can't overwork yourself~"

"B-but I am not doing that…?"

Sonoko looked down. While the view from below was outstanding, the girl gave a smile that didn't reach her eyes. Feeling his hairs standing on ends, Issei immediately complied out of self-preservation instinct. The action appeased the blonde heiress as she snorted smugly. _Damn it, does this mean I'm at the bottom of the food-chain…!_

[…Technically, females of the species are more aggressive than the male during mating season.]

Well, humans were _not_ created with mating season installed in their physiology, you stupid dragon…! Issei was about to beat Ddraig up with a psychological assault when another karate-chop landed. He yelped and decided that he was done with everything. And so…

"Ah, you finally relaxed~"

"Well, I don't want to be hit on the head for the third time…" Issei grumbled.

"Third time's the charm, after all," Sonoko sang aloud.

Was that really how it was? Issei breathed out. He closed his eyes and felt something brushing his hair like a comb. From the sensation alone, he could tell what the truth was, but—

"…Umm, Sonoko-chan?"

"What is it?" Sonoko hummed.

"…No, it's nothing."

He felt awkward now. He was happy with the treatment he was given, but he couldn't help feeling like he was being pampered like a child. His internal happiness soon won out and he melted under his friend's care. He felt drowsy; or rather, his exhaustion was catching up very quickly. Even though his wounds were healed, the fatigue, stamina drain and everything else had probably worn down his physical and mental health. To think he had been so worked up all these times…

"Heh he…."

Hearing a small laughter, Issei had the urge to be roused from his half-sleeping state. He looked up with one eye, staring at a smiling Sonoko. She had yet to stop brushing his hair with her right hand, and her left hand touched the floor next to her legs which were bent back to either side.

"…What's wrong, Sonoko-chan?" Issei asked.

"Hmm?" His friend tilted her head. "Karin-chan will be spending the night with the Sentinels, so now I can have Han-kun all for myself."

…Huh.

"Are," Issei paused in thoughts. "Are you jealous, Sonoko-chan?"

"Why would you think that?"

Eh? But she wanted to hog him all for herself, right? Wasn't that a sign of possessiveness? Issei wasn't the brightest bulb in the shelves, but even he could tell jealous women were not to be taken lightly. He had learned after clearing all of those mentally-scarring _galge_ which starred yandere and psychotic heroines in them.

Since his silence seemed to have handed her his entire thoughts, Sonoko raised her left hand and placed a finger under her chin. The girl hummed thoughtfully and tilted her head to either side, letting the flocks of her golden blonde hair wave while reflecting the moonlight.

"…Well," Sonoko began. "It's true that sometimes, I wanted to be with you. Not with everyone, but alone—just you and me."

"Sonoko-chan…"

Sonoko giggled. She patted his head and sighed, "I know Han-kun loves us equally. Wasshi, Yuuyuu, Nibosshi, Fuumin-senpai, even Ittsun… You treasure us and our happiness more than anything."

The girl brushed the boy's hair. She rested her thumb on his forehead, letting him feel the warmth and suppleness of her fingers. The hand touching his scalp and forehead wasn't entirely soft. There were blisters and rigidness found only on the hands of spear-wielding martial artists. No matter what, Nogi Sonoko was undeniably a warrior—a Hero who had given her all to protect everyone's happiness.

"…Han-kun, are you going to leave?"

At that question, Issei's eyes widened. He fully caught the face of the girl he loved within both of his eyes, and he could feel her gaze peering into his. For an instance, the girl's smile twisted in resigned sadness. And for a single moment, the always carefree, always smiling Sonoko had dropped all pretenses.

"You're going to change the world," Sonoko said. "But staying here will not help you accomplish that. If there's a way to save the world, then surely, seeing the world is the only way to find that method."

The girl's voice began to fade. The sleepiness the boy felt had intensified, and he could do nothing but feel the tightening sensation around his heart. Why couldn't he respond?

 _…Because she's right._

One day, he would leave this nest. He would abandon everything to begin his journey. He didn't know how long it would take, or how many difficulties he had to surmount, but he knew that he would have to bid farewell to his loved ones. It wasn't a choice; it was the price he had to pay, a consequence of his action, _an inevitability._

 _Can I even do it?_

He can. He is a dragon now. In fact, he became a Dragon God with the potential to stand head-and-shoulder with the enemies. He is still weak right now, but time will assist him, and his efforts will one day be rewarded in full. That future was a certainty, because…

"I'm no longer a human, Sonoko-chan."

The girl stayed silent. But she reacted and bobbed her head down.

"…I'm," Issei paused. "I don't have a lifespan anymore, so even if you're all gone, I will keep on living."

Unchanging. Eternal. Detached from the flow of time. That was his fate as a dragon, a being that sided with no one but themselves. It didn't matter who would stand in front of him. It didn't matter what sort of opponent he had to face. It didn't matter what kind of physical or conceptual laws desire to restrict him.

In the end, dragons only cared about what they loved the most.

"…Do you regret it?"

He looked up. At the question given by the girl he loved, Issei parted his lips. He couldn't answer right away, yet he didn't become flustered. There was no way he would allow himself to blunder like that.

"...I've already decided," Issei eventually replied. "I've already picked my path."

But was there any other choice? There was no room for compromise. There was no ground to negotiate, and there was no need for any more words. The world had been stolen by selfish gods. So many lives were sacrificed, so many happiness crushed, so many hopes trampled remorselessly, all in the name of survival, greater good, and vainglory.

Hyoudou Issei scorned this world, but he loved this very world all the same. It granted him a place he truly belonged. This wretched, hopeless world that had long already ended…

"I want to change it," the boy declared. "I want to change this world. For my own sake. For everyone's sake. For those who have passed on with regrets and unfulfilled wishes. For the people who shed their tears and cried in sorrow…"

That was his promise.

That was the reason why he could accept his reality.

That was why _he signed the contract offered by the King of the Land Gods._

"…For the sake of the result I can truly be happy with…" Hyoudou Issei softly smiled. "There's just no way I will ever regret my choice, right?"


	8. Interlude - Moonlit Reflection

Beneath the moonlight, Sonoko expelled a sigh.

The room temperature was gradually becoming colder. Because the heating charm required some magical energy as fuel, she had gradually exhausted herself, and now it was depleted. But there was no way she could ask her friend to exert any more energy than he had expended today.

"It wouldn't be a fair trade, after all," Sonoko wistfully said. Her fingers brushed her friend's hair and she felt a fluttering warmth transfer through the physical contact. "...Really, even though you're dreaming, you keep on upholding your promise."

She wished the boy could direct some of that caring attitude back on himself. It was clear Issei was forcing himself, but he had grown, learned from his errors, and tried to minimize the risks. At the same time, he was growing craftier, finding various ways to hide his worries from everyone's sight. It was pretty fun picking on the crumbs he had accidentally left behind, though.

"Heh he, you're still a bad liar." Sonoko tilted her head and brushed her side bang so that it fell behind her shoulder. "I wonder what dream you are having right now."

If it was a good dream, then she would be glad. If it was a nightmare, then she would comfort him. But if he wasn't dreaming…

Sonoko raised her head. She looked back and stared at the moon floating in the wintry night sky. The effect of Ame-no-Nuboko was the overwriting of the fabric of reality. Taisha had confirmed that it was an ability the Heavenly Gods of Shinto were capable of, but if that was truly the case…

"Why," the girl thought aloud. "Why do the gods despise this world? Weren't they the ones who created it? Or is it because they are gods that they can do this?"

Ending the world, exterminating nearly all lives on the planet, crushing the hope and happiness of innocents who were merely living their lives with not even a shred of mercy or any logical reasons… if they truly made heaven, earth and hell, then why do they keep interfering the mortals' lives?

The girl had tried asking the priests of Taisha. She tried to learn about the truth, but in the end, all the people who knew could only hang their heads. They said that it couldn't be helped. They said that it was just how the world worked, how history had worked until now.

"But is that truly the case…?" Sonoko whispered to no one in particular, and cast her gaze down again.

The Taisha she once knew obeyed the guidance of fates because the Land Gods had been defeated, exiled, and reduced into nothing more than a holy tree with limited power. The enemies were too powerful, and there wasn't enough time to develop the power needed to achieve victory. But even if humanity discarded the blessings of the gods, they would just lose all of the power that had allowed her to reach this far. That was why the old Taisha kept repeating one thing as if it was a mantra:

 _It can't be helped—_

Was Gin's death truly something that could not be helped? Were her friends' sadness and pain truly needed for the people living in this era? Why did Taisha and many other organizations need children to fight a war that had nothing to do with them? Why couldn't they deal with those problems all by themselves?

For what reason did they require—

"...For what reason…?" Sonoko blinked and inclined her head.

Indeed, Heroes were people blessed by the gods. Capable of superhuman feats, they fought with extraordinary battle instinct and unique weapons to destroy Vertexes which were completely immune to conventional weaponry. Furthermore, magic was provided by the Faeries summoned from the Hero System, thus allowing the Heroes to withstand and overcome even the Constellation Vertexes.

 _However..._

Even if Mankai was excluded from the equation, sufficient battle strategy and effort could destroy the Constellation Vertexes one-by-one. Consecutive battles were a different matter, but the only thing one must be wary of would be the tricky and self-evolving nature of the Vertexes. On top of that, the existence of Sentinels had now allowed various strategies normally unused due to the numerical disadvantage the previous version of the Hero System possessed.

 _There was never any need for Taisha to include Sacred Gear wielders in the War._

"...This is…" Sonoko inhaled, her heart pounding as certain abnormalities she thought of as odd resurfacing to the forefront of her mind.

She had thought that there was a reason behind Taisha's involvement of the Hyoudou family. At that point, she understood that there were countless wonders in the world, just like the number of stars in the night sky. Some of them as simple as basic equation, some of them too contrived for her to fully understand. However, it was clear that besides the Vertexes and the Heroes, there existed various beings and things common people would not believe until they appeared right in front of them.

Among them all, the inclusion of an unawakened relic seemed like a poor move on Taisha's part.

Considering the state of the boy back then, Taisha's behavior was not normal. Issei was allowed to choose, he was not heavily monitored, and he was permitted to visit Sonoko regardless of his status, personality, and strength. Adding to that, he was approved by the Shinju to participate in the War despite his immaturity and little experience. There were a lot of inconsistencies in his treatment, but after including a certain factor, Sonoko felt a familiar chill running down her spine.

 _Why was Han-kun allowed to meet Mino-san?_

He dreamed of meeting her, conversing with her, and training with her. It was perhaps meant to temper his mentality, but there was not much benefit in a training regimen which did not strengthen his physical capabilities. His unlocking of Balance Breaker did not count because he was truly a step away from welcoming death, but Minowa Gin's frequent involvement on behest of the Shinju seemed to lack any purpose.

"Unless… Unless the purpose is just that."

There was no need to push Hyoudou Issei and force him to pick a path he did not have any choice over. There was no need for anyone or anything to force him to shoulder the burden of the world. All that was needed was _a subtle manipulation of the walking relic's destiny_.

Specific environment determined the seed's survivability and potentials. Challenges allowed the seed to break its shell and bud. Grave risks would nourish it so that it could grow at an accelerated rate. And with enough affections, the plant would spread its roots, growing into a strong tree that could protect those seeking shelters from heaven's wrath below it.

If that was the case, the purpose behind Hyoudou Issei's existence was...

"What Taisha and Shinju-sama ultimately needed isn't _just_ the Heroes," Sonoko breathed out, multitude of emotions swallowing her mind in a sudden gulp. "What they need is _a powerful weapon that can be used by the Heroes to slay gods_."


	9. Chapter 8 - Knocked Out Scales

Three days and three nights had passed.

At the fourth dawn, the heroes who had protected Shimane returned. Issei sighed in relief as he could now be freed from logistic management for a while, but he didn't expect Yuuna running to him the moment he stepped outside of Fushimi-Inari Taisha.

The redhead gave no indications to hide her innermost feelings. Crying out their names, Yuuna leaped and glomped Issei, Sonoko, as well as Karin altogether. The three who had just returned from the frontline flinched in surprise, but considering the club had never done a rotation when fighting Vertexes, it was expected of those on the sideline to be worried sick.

 _At the very least,_ Issei thought as Sonoko and Karin comforted the teary-eyed Yuuna. _Everyone returned safely._

He had definitely made clear progress on upholding his promise. Because of that, Issei felt that the situation wasn't as hopeless as he thought. He also didn't mind staying in close contact with Yuuna, though he tried his very best to not show it on his face. It'd be dangerous if either Tougou or Karin noticed.

Speaking of the two, Karin had been informed about the diminishing energy of the Shinju. She had voiced her concern outright, but there was still enough time to develop a countermeasure. Although it took a while for Karin to calm down, she soon accepted and decided to help as best as she could.

Still... when he looked at his other classmates and senior, he felt something from the way they gazed at… could it be?

[They probably already know,] his partner preemptively answered. [Either from that fox, that emotionally drained priestess, or maybe your parent.]

 _...Well… that sure saved me most of the efforts there._

He didn't doubt Aki because of her strong sense of duty. On the other hand, Yasaka was a Youkai, and a _Tenko_ on top of that. It might just be her fulfilling her role as a divine messenger, but aside from that, Issei had a feeling his father had helped in telling the truth. It depressed him a little, but what else could he do?

 _In the end, they'll know sooner or later._

Smiling sheepishly at his other two friends, Tougou reacted first. The black-haired beauty twisted her lips into a bitter thin line while Fuu breathed out, shaking her head in exasperation. Issei seriously felt apologetic but ruining the moment wouldn't do.

 _What the heck am I supposed to do in this sort of situation?_

[Nothing can be done,] Ddraig retorted as if foretelling the weather. [This is the result of your action. If you have some pride, take it like the dragon that you are.]

Issei exhaled in resignation. There was no helping it, huh?

* * *

The day passed as quick as the falling snows.

The palace was full of noise. Laughter and cries filled the air, but the mood was light-hearted enough to shrug off the cold of winter. Questions were thrown about, and answers were met with the usual strange responses. The atmosphere was just like the regular club days. Even with one of them not being there, Issei felt that regardless of what would happen, regardless of where he would be, the same sight would persist on existing no matter what.

He took solace and burned this moment into his memories.

As night fell upon Kyoto, those who had exhausted themselves retired back to their rooms. Issei too returned to his own room to tidy stuff up, but he was met with a mountain of items piling on his desk.

"...Uh, the heck is this?"

"Oh, those are letters of gratitude from the people across the country," said Tougou who had somehow sneaked past his detection. The girl stood at the doorway with her hand on the sliding door and smiled. "In a way, they are love letters from your fans, Ise-kun. Please be sure to respond to them properly."

"Eh, wait—"

"Now, excuse me. Tomorrow is a school day so I will retire for the night."

 _No fair!_ Issei almost yelled at the top of his lungs had Tougou not executed a tactical retreat. It was just so well-timed the male youth couldn't do anything about it, and in the end, there was no choice other than facing the enemies on his own.

"What is this, a new form of torture…?"

[If a mountain of honest praises could finish you off, those idiots above wouldn't have so much troubles dealing with us.]

 _Well, if you put it like that…_

Issei sat down and glanced at some of the letters, reading what he could glean with the little information they had. The addresses varied, the names ranged from normal to odd ones, and some of them also had clear titles in regards to the contents of the letters. Issei curved a thin smile, but he hung his head and ran his right hand over his hair.

"Even though I never thought of fighting for glory… this is a problem."

[I agree,] Ddraig commented. [It's always a strange thing, having others admire your strength from afar. I was even recorded in human history as a dragon siding with a country; like I could care about a conflict between the weak.]

 _Aaah, right, you're the Welsh Dragon._

The dragon sealed in his Sacred Gear sent out an image of his head nodding. [Indeed I am, but that's only a title tacked onto me. It later became a joke I often use on my hosts whenever one succeeded on awakening me.]

What an ill-natured dragon. Issei shook his head at the dragon's reasoning and loosened the tensions in his shoulders.

He began sorting out the letters–only to stop when he recognized a single letter buried in the heaps. His eyes rounded up for a moment before they narrowed, zeroing in as a thought crossed his mind.

It didn't take long for sounds of tearing and unfolding papers to fill the room. Snows continued on falling outside the room, and yet despite the efforts of the room heater, a strange, cold atmosphere still persisted on sneaking in.

"...I see," Issei breathed out. "So that's how it is."

Ddraig didn't deign an answer. He might have already known what Issei had found out, and what he was thinking at the moment. That was why…

[The stakes sure are rising even higher.]

The dragon's words sounded like a trivial comment, but there was no denying the lack of emotion in them. Issei was glad to know that, so he continued to stare at the letter in his hand. He carefully reread it, dissecting the content word-by-word, and he soon came to a definite conclusion.

"Not even five years, huh...?" Issei turned his head to look at the _shoji_ facing the moonlit garden. "Can I truly make it in time?"

His question received no answer. Not from his partner, not from the Collective of Gods linked with his existence, not even from his own self who had chosen what he must do.

Issei folded back the letter, moving on to his other task.

* * *

The weather had cleared up at last. The sun was shining bright, only a few white clouds could be seen, and the hustle and bustle washed across the town of Kyoto.

It was a warm welcome for Issei. He woke up in time, changed into his school uniform and looked at his reflection in the mirror. A dark blazer with a red necktie that indicated his year, white shirt beneath the brown vest, and warm grey pants for a contrasting value. _Hm, as I thought, I look cool in this!_

He didn't take a pose because he could never be careless in this palace. He wouldn't say he couldn't trust the girls, but the likes of Sonoko would just waltz out of the closet as if it was the norm. The scary thing was that _Sonoko_ would have something in hand to note down anything she thought of as interesting for the sake of her novels.

"Yeah… you can never let your guard down when living under the same roof afo girls of your age." Issei straightened his back and nodded to himself. "Alright, time to go!"

Bringing his school bag with him, the boy left his room. He met up with the girls at the guest-receiving room and was greeted with a scenery worth more than a billion yen.

"Oh," Karin turned around, her twintail dancing, fluttering as she turned her head to meet his gaze. The coat covering her black sailor uniform swayed and the brunette snorted, "About time. How long are you going to make us wait?"

Just like her, his friends turned around and greeted him in their own ways. Fuu shook her head in exasperation, Yuuna beamed a smile, and Tougou lightly sighed. Sonoko, meanwhile, seemed like she was about to fall over while holding a rectangular pillow that resembled a cat wrapped in a towel.

But never mind all that. What Issei considered as important was the sight of his beloved friends in school uniforms. The weather was still a bit cold, but it didn't stop him from appreciating the girls' beauty.

"Oy, stop staring." Karin walked up and knocked the side of his head. Issei yelped. "The bus is going to be here soon. It would be your fault if we are all late for the third semester."

"Agh, fine fine…"

With that being said, the Hero Club departed from the Ninomaru palace. Exiting through the eastern gate, they immediately went straight to the bus stop. Yuuna asked if any of them slept well but Karin pointed out her snoring, making the redhead to hide her face from everyone else's stares.

Issei chuckled. On that aspect, Yuuna was still the same as before. Despite that, the girl quickly recovered, her smile wide and dazzling to the point that Issei was sure the snow had melted for a moment.

"Hm?" Yuuna perked up, noticing his stare.

Issei hurriedly looked away. Damn, how could he be so easily flustered? He was falling hard. Hell, he was totally head-over-heel for her, wasn't he?

 _This ain't good…_

Looking for something to distract him, the boy checked his other friends. Karin was arguing with Fuu like always, Yuuna had started a discussion about lunch with Tougou, and Sonoko…

"...Huh?" Issei blinked, realizing that the blonde gazed ahead as if lost in thoughts. No, was she daydreaming? "Err, Sonoko-chan?"

There was no answer.

Issei felt like he could never get used to the girl's moments like this. Sonoko was his crush, one could even say that one of the biggest factors driving him to live the way he was now was because of her. He was glad for that, but sometimes, there were sides of Nogi Sonoko he couldn't understand. Whenever the girl dazed off, he couldn't help but think that her soul wasn't in the right place—

[Well, I suppose that's one way of putting it, huh?]

The boy blinked in surprise. What did he just hear?

"...Han-kun?"

 _Uuuuuhhh…!?_

"Y-yeah?" Caught off-guards, Issei responded out of reflex. It was then he realized _who_ addressed him like that. "Ah… what is it, Sonoko-chan?"

The girl with dirty blonde-hair stared him in the eyes for a few beats. Then, she spilled a smile as she tilted her head.

"Did you sleep well last night?" Sonoko asked.

"Huh…? Well, I guess." Issei scratched his cheek and turned his eyes to the road. His ears soon picked up a subtle noise, but it was a familiar sound he recognized even if it came from miles away. "Oh, look. The bus is here."

To his stray comment, a certain someone huffed in annoyance.

"...You do know that only _you_ would notice the bus' arrival long before it can be seen, right?"

 _Agh, how am I supposed to respond to that!?_

"Now now, let's not ruin the morning so early," Fuu advised. She had an entertained smile as if she was having fun and the alarmed Issei. "By the way, make sure to gather in the club room once your homeroom is finished. We need to begin club activity like we did for the new year."

Oh, yeah, there was that too. "I'll be a bit late, though. Is that okay, Fuu-senpai?"

The blonde upperclassman tilted her head in confusion.

* * *

Morning had given ways to afternoon. As the day grew older, clouds rolled in, dimming the sky and taking away the grace of the sun from the town.

As if mirroring the weather, Issei slumped his shoulders. At the high-school division library of Kyoto branch's Shinju-kan, the young man reviewed a new section of history that had just been added a year back. Because of the unleashed truth, the country was thrown into a great uproar. It took more than a year for the government to recover, but even after countless bone-breaking efforts, the situation remained on a tightrope.

"…And this, too…" Issei shook his shoulders as he flipped another page. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

The section in the history book described an event. After the End of the Christianity Era, many educational institutes were revived by Taisha which was a rising association of minor shrines. Because it had lost its former purpose as an anti-Vertex organization, Taisha whose name meant 'Grand Shrine' changed into 'Amnesty', but now it was revealed that the new name symbolized the defeat of this country's Land Gods and humanity against the Malevolent Gods.

What was worse was that most of the Shinto's Heavenly Gods were at the victorious side in this passage, and that among the numerous casualties, a traumatic disorder had appeared which caused people to fear the sky regardless of it being day or night.

"…Even in Shikoku, there are hundreds of people having the same symptoms…"

[Sky Fear Syndrome… No, I guess it should be called 'Uranophobia', huh?] Ddraig sneered in clear disgust, no doubt infuriated by the brief description of the illness. [What a tasteless joke, even for those so-called gods. A mental illness that destroys the psyche of a living being, devouring their memories and pride like a bunch ants hoarding a dying insect, all the while forcing them to submit to the heavens and look down on their feet like a bunch of slaves.]

 _…You're not thinking this illness occurs because the people have weak hearts?_

[I do think mortals are weak creatures, their bodies are so frail a gentle flap of my wings can snap their spines,] Ddraig remarked. [But a tactic that toys around with one's mind and heart is something unbefitting for dragons. It's disgraceful, shameless and utterly loathsome, for we treasure the strength of our own heart the most in our eternal lives.]

That… that certainly made sense. Issei was honestly impressed now. That would mean dragons recognized willpower as a kind of strength, and he would respect even lesser beings as long as they possessed an unrivaled passion.

"So then, do you respect the ancient Heroes as well?" Issei questioned with volume not enough for the librarian to train her glare at his back.

He waited for an answer… and soon the dragon gave him what he wanted to hear.

[…The Heroes who fought in that merciless battlefield were constantly showered with praises,] Ddraig reminisced. [I do respect their passions, but only a few knew that they were just little girls who had so much to live for. For those children, their place to die shouldn't have been on the battlefield with no chance to win.]

Ddraig's comment stunned Issei. It brought back some past memories to the surface _._ Having no other choice, Issei decided to continue on reading to keep himself distracted. He took notes so that he could compare it with the archives in Taisha's forbidden library, but at a certain point, Issei came across something familiar.

He squinted his eyes upon seeing a portrait of a girl in school uniform that seemed out-of-place in a history book.

The girl's long blonde hair was done up in a refined way. With sharp eyes the color of amethyst and a solemn expression denouncing any sense of humor. Together with a sheathed sword in her hand, she was an unwavering beauty like a summit flower. It was a beautiful girl like no other, and Issei certainly felt that if he ever met her in life, he would definitely stutter or self-destruct before he could recite out two syllables of words. She was way beyond her league, but something caught his attention.

The way she looked and her facial structure reminded him of a certain girl, so once he found the girl's name right below the portrait, his dark eyes widened.

Ddraig hummed, [It sure has been a long while since I last saw her and that sword of hers.]

"Nogi Wakaba…" Issei muttered out quietly. "You know, how does this even work? The resemblance is uncanny."

[On the contrary, I'm wondering if there's something wrong with that noisy one you've kept on pursuing.] In his headspace, the red dragon grunted, [I've seen her through the eyes of my previous host. Despite being a human supported by minor divinities, she deserved her title as a hero, but she was not… well, you know what I mean.]

"Ugh, you don't have to say it like that…" Issei hung his head low. "Sonoko-chan isn't that bad, you know?"

[Tell me that after she stopped acting like an eccentric. Your senior admired that ancestor as both a warrior and a person.]

Issei groaned. Wasn't there 300 years to make a difference? As if anything made by human could stand as pure and untouched by flaws through that amount of time! _Just look at Taisha, it's fucking screwed up from top-to-bottom!_

[And this is why nothing the likes of you have made can ever last for eternity…]

 _Shut up and stop nitpicking! Besides, that ain't the problem here!_

Having enough headache for today, Issei decided to return the history book and left the library. Lunch was ending soon, and even though the first day of school would mean a few classes to attend, he couldn't just neglect his duty.

 _I've still got club activity to do!_

He picked up his pace. The school corridor was full of noise with students wandering around. Naturally, many eyes turned to him but while those who knew little of him had the strongest reaction, those who had known him would greet him like always.

"Oy, Hyoudou! Don't run in the hallway!" A teacher shouted.

"Hyoudou, if you have the time to do another errand, help us in the next soccer match!" A male classmate waved.

"Quick, it's Hyoudou! Don't let him get near you!" A female student hushed her friends along.

 _Am I a plague or something?_ Issei was dismayed by the level of attention that didn't feel all that different than the times back at middle-school. He had to admit he was glad for that, but it felt somewhat wrong when everything stayed the same most of the time. Wouldn't it be bad if he didn't have any new challenges? What if he let his guards down because he was too used to staying in his comfort zone?

[You'll probably have a crushing defeat the moment you get distracted.]

 _Please don't jinx it,_ Issei begged in his mind. _No, seriously, I wouldn't want that to happen; I have too much to lose right now._

The dragon sealed within the Boosted Gear produce a visual representation of rolling one's eyes.

For the umpteenth time today, Issei heaved a sigh. Going out of the main school building, he proceeded to go straight to the third building by cutting through the schoolyard. The trees, grasses, and bushes; all of them were covered with lumps of white snow. Furthermore, the ground had become slippery, so Issei slowed down to avoid as many frozen puddles as possible.

He reached the third school building after clearing that ordeal. Located at the far back of the campus, the two-story exclusive facility for extracurricular clubs stood in its outdated majestic way. Walls made of wooden planks and red bricks. The front part of the building consist of unused shoebox lockers. Wandering in casually, the young man walked through the corridor as his footsteps produced sounds of creaking wood.

The air was surprisingly dry. The wooden materials must have absorbed the moisture, and with the ventilations working fine, it was difficult to not let himself be spoiled by the atmosphere. After taking his time in absorbing the scenery surrounding him, Issei reached the end of the building's right wing. He turned to face a wooden door with a plaque hanging on it. He read aloud the words 'Shinju-kan's High-School Division Hero Club' carved on it in his mind. The young man formed a smile on his face and he twisted open the door knob before entering the clubroom.

"Hey! Sorry I'm late… huh?"

Issei blinked. At one corner of the eight-tatami mat room, he found himself staring at a group of girls surrounding a rectangular table. None of the girls paid him any attention since they were all looking down on the surface of the table as if trying to drill a hole through it. His raised hand slowly lowering down, a question crossed his mind but before he could speak out…

Karin perked up, her twintails swaying as she inclined her chin. "Ah, speak of the devil."

Fuu instantly twisted around 180-degrees to face him. Like a cracking whip her left arm flew and she pointed at him.

"Get him!"

"Huh?! Wha—"

Yuuna ran ahead of the others. Taking swift sprints, the girl matched her timing perfectly so as to execute a powerful leap forward. As her red hair fluttered behind her like the blazing tail of a comet, the girl murmured under her breaths before she spread her arms wide.

"HERO CAPTURE…!"

A powerful blow impacted Issei's gut.

Air left his lungs with a hard knock, and because he had forgotten to maintain his physical strength at the usual state, the damage multiplied horribly. His feet then left the floors and the last thought Issei remembered was one thing:

 _What did I just walk into?_


	10. Chapter 9 - Grasses on the Scale

"Haa? What snack do I like the most?"

Sitting on the couch facing away from the windows, Issei stared at his club mates with a dubious gaze. He couldn't come up with a better way to look at the strange situation he had been dragged into.

 _Well, it's not like I have something to do anyway…_

"I'm fine with anything, really." Issei continued, "I mean… heavy meals beat snacks by a wide margin, but I prefer chips and junk food when I don't want to eat rice."

 _Though that only happened whenever I wanted to clear all the routes of my favorite eroges in a single night._

"Uh, that's a little…" Yuuna murmured with a troubled expression.

Karin nodded. "I agree. Supplements and dried sardines should be your one and only choice for snacks."

Fuu commented 'Those are totally out, too!' and exasperated. She further reinforced her opinion by slapping the air with the back of her right hand, but after delivering her straight man act, the second-year coughed into her fist and placed a hand on her waist.

Wasn't that the posture she always took when she couldn't come up with any idea at all?

"Well, Issei is never the right person for the job he got assigned with, so we should've seen this coming."

 _Oy, what's that supposed to mean?_

"Besides, the topic of the request is a cooking manual for a person who has never cooked. Even giving out the simplest food recipe will end badly without some practices beforehand…"

"Huh… So you girls were around the table because of that?" Issei tilted his head, realization dawning on his face the more he thought of the situation back then. "You should've said that first… Why did you even order Yuuna-chan to hit me like that, Fuu-senpai?"

"No, well. This and that are two different matters, but anyway…" Fuu squared her shoulders and folded her arms beneath her bosom. "Someone requested to be taught how to cook. They also wanted a cooking recipe to improve their skills, but…"

 _The problem is that they never cooked before, huh?_

Issei finally understood it all. The Kyoto Shinju-kan's Hero Club was founded shortly after Fuu had enrolled in Shinju-kan's high-school division. After nearly two years, the reputation of this private school's Hero Club was reaching its middle-school counterpart's fame. It should also be noted that the Shikoku's Summer Defense Battle and the events after that had spread the words about the Hero Club's deeds like wildfire.

Naturally, strange requests would sometimes arrive. Nevertheless, everyone would do their very best to resolve the clients' worries. Hero Club's Fifth Tenet: You're likely to succeed if you try.

"Hmm, can't you just hold a group cooking session, senpai?"

Fuu shook her head in denial. "No can't do. They're the shy type, and we can't just borrow our dorm's kitchen without a good reason for it."

 _Ugh, the woes of being treated as VIPs…_

Issei exasperated. He was growing tired of the club's complicated circumstance. He and his close friends had been given the most luxurious treatment by Taisha for the past few years. Since their Duty and deeds had been revealed to the public, the country treated them as national figures who, his father quote, 'those who have valiantly protected the country without a care for their own lives.'

[I call bullcrap on that,] Ddraig grunted in annoyance. [Who the hell does that lot think we are? No one in this room fought with the intention of dying for a stupid cause. The country? Like I give a damn about that. I couldn't care less even if this land burned, dammit!]

 _Seconded there,_ Issei echoed off in his mind. _Seriously, my world only consists of these girls, my friends and my family. I never even wanted to work for the government like some workaholic pen-pusher, you know?_

Still, regardless of the depressing situation the Hero Club was in, complaining wouldn't get them anywhere. Ddraig had sentiments and respects for the ancient Heroes, and Issei was grateful to be born in this country that allowed him to meet his beloved ones.

Some factors could give a degree of care, but it could only extend so far.

 _Anyway…_

"Is it really impossible to hold a cooking lesson for the client? It should be alright if it's just a few of us who teach them how to cook."

"That's true, but there's another problem in setting this up…" Fuu glanced sideways and looked like she was about to admit defeat. "Issei, what do you think is coming up in the next month?"

 _Hmm?_ "We're going to have our hands full with midterm tests, end-of-term exams, some small school events, and next month is February so…"

The young man went still like a rock. As if noticing his shock, Tougou nodded and smiled bitterly. The girl closed her eyes as she spoke out:

"February is known for a certain day that has been well-preserved from the Old Era," the black-haired girl said. "The day where one makes chocolate and gives them to their loved ones. Yes, it's valentine."

 _I seeeee,_ Issei groaned in his head. _Wait a second;_ _if that's so, the client this time is…_

"…Wait, am I supposed to be your _reference material!?_ " Issei pointed at himself in a hurry. There was no way he could hope to hide his shock when the topic involved his well-being! "Why!? I mean, I get it but why _me!?_ Everyone has their own taste, right!? What if the guy wants marshmallow instead of chocolate?!"

Fuu raised a finger and paused; her lips twitching open. She lowered her raised finger and deflated as she hung her head low.

"I can't refute that…"

"…Oy. Aren't you our senior? At least have some more charisma."

Karin stared dumbfounded at the second-year. She didn't look like she could believe what she was seeing, but unfortunately, this was reality.

No matter what you do, there was no use running away from it.

* * *

In the end, nothing was concluded. Fuu gave a command to everyone to think of a good plan for the rest of the day.

Furthermore, since it was still the first day of school, there was no club activity. Everyone went their separate ways as they all had something to do, and Issei who had gone off by his own wondered aloud.

"Every day is always hectic, huh." The brown-haired youth scratched his head as he walked down a downhill lane. "Not that I'm complaining, but…"

[Worried about the same thing again?] Ddraig chimed in.

Issei made a face. He couldn't help it, his thoughts were being read like an open book _once again_. Ddraig should have known that he disliked having his flaws used against him like that. Still, he had to admit that being upset was childish, also unbefitting of him.

They had been through this so many times already, after all.

"Maybe. But let's not go there," Issei told his partner, smiling a thin smile. "I don't want to make the workplace gloomy. The world is already gloomy as is, no need to make it all the more depressing."

[You're saying smart words, but you took them from some game you played last week, right?]

Ow, caught red-handed. Issei laughed sheepishly, but when he realized how much time he had spent, he decided to speed up.

An idea soon came to him, but the young man first took a quick once-over to confirm his surroundings. Didn't seem like there were any people that could mess with him.

"…Okay, let's try that."

Issei squatted on one knee. Sucking in the cold winter air, he tensed his muscles – and sprung up to the sky.

"Hah ha!" Issei laughed, his body floating high in the sky before gravity began to pull him down. "Man, this is never going to be boring for me!"

Laughing like a lunatic, the youth landed on the roof of a two-story house. He adjusted his own weight with a will and left nothing other than light footprints on the white surface of the house's roof. Issei quickly ran forward and leaped again, crossing over a few hundred meters in one try.

[Make sure you don't let anyone see you,] Ddraig warned, though he didn't bother to hide his own amusement. [Although I doubt that matters. This city is brimming with Youkais, a lot of humans here are far more accustomed to the abnormal side of the world.]

 _And that's why it's the second best place after Shikoku!_

After taking the shortcuts again and again, the young man reached his destination much sooner than scheduled. He made a sound as he found what he was looking for, made a change of direction as needed, and landed on a tiled path that led to a red Torii.

The people who saw him dropping from the sky flinched in surprise. Some around his age took out their cameras while a few adults looked like they took an offence from his stunt. Issei made an apologetic face to those few, but he immediately looked up the moment he noticed a few figures standing beyond the sacred entrance to a sacred ground.

[The only thing they can be reliable on is their welcoming preparations, huh…] Ddraig snorted.

Indeed. There were people in pristine white priest uniforms. Most of them were broad-shouldered with the distinct fashion indicating them being male, and a few of them had some form of robes with striped hoods that made them look like they were wearing celestial cloths. The masked priests and priestesses stood in a row, causing the passerby to gawk in confusion, but Issei approached them without a shred of hesitation.

"We have been waiting for you, Hyoudou-sama," greeted a priestess with locks of dirty silver hair sticking out from the hood covering her head. Recognizing her voice, Issei nodded. "…Please come this way, the training grounds have been prepared. The Sentinels will be ready as soon as their terminal's final adjustment is finished."

Issei didn't say anything. He gestured with another confirmation and walked past the High Priestess.

[How cold,] Ddraig dryly commented. [But I approve. You don't need to forgive them, Taisha is no longer what it used to be, and these people who are the remnants of the old order are simply waiting for their inevitable fall.]

In other words, they were the volunteers willing to be the scapegoats. Issei didn't like the idea of it, but rules were rules. He couldn't give favoritism to anyone in Taisha, lest it gives any upstart the idea of currying his favors, or even bribe him to start a new root of corruption.

[Yes. For them, a god's words are the laws, a divine mandate. And because we are approved as equal by that withering tree, we are also seen as these guys' superiors.]

 _I get it,_ Issei shot back in his head. _I get it, don't let my guard down no matter what, right?_

The world sure was a vicious place. He seriously hoped his father and the leaders of the other factions could stabilize the new government in time. There was no way he could endure this kind of stifling thing forever…

[Well, a few years will pass in a blink of an eye for us,] Ddraig said.

Why didn't that sound comforting at all?

Issei sighed inwardly and looked ahead of him. The priestess guiding him was a few steps away from him, and he followed after her. After a while, they reached a stone Torii standing in front of a dense forest. A regularly used animal path lead into it while being shrouded by the shadows of the foliage. Looking at it like this, the path looked like a never-ending tunnel made by plants.

The young man narrowed his eyes. He didn't raise his voice and simply walked forward, going past the priestess who bowed toward him. He stepped through the Torii—

[Oh, so they've improved the barrier. Must be those crows' doing.]

Ddraig's comment made him blink. That single instance was more than enough for Issei to sense the changes in the surroundings, and he inclined his chin as he found a clear blue sky devoid of clouds and the sun looking back at him. A cold wind blew past him, sending a chorus of bristling leaves to his ears as they all vanished into the distance.

Inhaling, the youth exhaled white breaths as he walked through the white land. The sounds of crushed snows marked his presence, and every time he moved forward, ankle-deep footsteps were left behind.

"…Hm?" Issei paused, halting his feet from creating another footstep. He stepped back, squatted down and narrowed his eyes as he examined the white lump of snows ahead of him. "Well, now this is clever…"

[A booby-trap, huh?] Ddraig murmured in reminiscence. [I never cared about that, but you're a different case.]

"Well, I'm not that smart in disarming these kind of things, but…" Issei nodded down, stood back up and walked over the string traps. "These aren't used to inflict harms on me. I don't see anything weird and I doubt they can make things like flying logs when there's nothing much to hide things. The purpose is probably…"

[Alarming them of your presence.]

 _Yeah, definitely Mebuki's idea or the other Shizuku-chan's doing._

Those two preferred proving themselves in a straight and rigid way. Yumiko would have suggested a more elaborate trap impossible to be made without very specific materials, and Suzume would just be the physical laborer in the entire schemes; a bit unfortunate in all honesty.

 _Well, time to push forward again._

As he resumed walking, Issei's gaze moved from the left to right cautiously. Eventually, he discovered something other than leafless trees. Deep inside the forest was a wide clearing. A lake could be seen pooling in the middle of it, the clear surface reflecting the color of the sky like a mirror. Some layers of ice were left ashore, and perhaps because of the climate, Issei could make out the bottom of the lake.

Seemingly bottomless like a hole punched into the core of the earth, the still lake water trembled as touches of the wind brushed on its surface. As he saw a few fallen leaves creating several ripples, Issei halted himself and looked down on his feet – realizing too late as line of string snapped the moment he stepped forward.

[Here they come—]

Issei suddenly dug his toes into the gravel. His waist twisted as he rotated his body and swinging his left arm to block a metal bar aimed to the back of his head. He caught a shrill gasp with his ears, and as bright red light encased his left arm, Ddraig's voice spread throughout the clearing.

 **[BOOST!]**

The moment Boosted Gear was summoned into existence, his strength doubled. Issei felt his muscles tensing up, his blood boiling and his vision growing sharper. The attacker holding a bayonet-equipped rifle shrieked, but she was too late as his right fist flew toward her body—

"Switch!" A high-pitched shout followed after a white-and-green blur that suddenly appeared right before Issei's fist. A solid sound of impact rang out, the vibration coursing from his right knuckle and traveled through his body, and the boy caught a wild smirk appearing at the corner of the thick tower shield. "…hah! Hah ha ha…! How was THAT, you shitty liza—"

"Yeah, that was good." Issei pulled his left arm in, clenched his hand into another fist and threw it at the shield-bearer. "Now I can hit you with my all!"

The blow struck true. Both the shield-bearer and the rifle-user flew away, crashing through trees as if they were thin wooden panels. Issei heard their screams but he ignored them as he jumped to the side – dodging several bullets that could have pierced his abdomen, shoulders and legs. He sprinted to the side as bullets of light chased after him like a hungry snake.

 **[BOOST!]**

 _Already ten seconds, huh?_ Issei calculated the situation as he glanced to the shooters standing at the opposite side of the clearing.

Two girls were there, both of them bearing rifles in hands. Just like the two from before, they wore the same green combat uniforms that placed more importance in ease of movement. The only difference was that one of them possessed a visor over her helmet, but Issei knew all too well that the victory condition was already set the moment he found out the position of leader unit.

[Don't get carried away, partner.] Ddraig warned, [None of them are pushovers, after all.]

As if taking his words as a cue, Issei sensed two presences approaching from the trees surrounding the clearing. The shield-bearer from earlier and the bayonet-user had caught up with his pace, running through the obstacles with eyes trained at him like vicious predators.

[Sore losers.] Ddraig sneered. [But that's fine. A fight should be like this, not a roundabout farce that expects the enemy to move like you want them to.]

Though he sounded like a commentator, his intention was telegraphed very clearly to Issei. He didn't doubt it, the opponents were trying to ambush him, probably luring him to a trap to make it even easier, or another all-or-nothing attack which relied on luck. But no matter what sort of thing waiting before him, what he had to was one thing:

 _Never go easy in battles—_

"Roger that…!" Issei spat out, let his physical strength double once more upon the third Boost, and leaped forward at a speed even faster than the bullets and the girls chasing after him. "Come on, is that all you've got!? Didn't you want to be Heroes like Karin-chan and the others!?"

As the Sentinels' expressions twisted in a mix of emotions, the young man's grin widened.

* * *

Close to the stone Torii, a priestess gazed at the spectacle displayed in a floating panel hovering in midair.

The captured live footage was crisp and clean. As she oversaw the growth of the Sentinels, she also gauged the ability of the boy who promised a kind future. She saw him moving while executing attacks, his mobility already reaching superhuman-level as he blurred from sight for times. Likewise, the most experienced and talented of the Sentinels kept up albeit being unable to land a single blow on their target.

 _Those girls are improving, but it seems they still haven't reached their own conclusion..._

"How is it?" A priest asked from nearby, the pen in his right hand running across papers held together on a lapboard in his left. "The latest version should be able to calibrate the energy needed to sustain two pieces of equipment at once. The output is… not good enough, huh?"

"On the other hand, the base abilities of the Sentinels are further increased this way. They can now explore the Outside for a longer period of time, right?"

"Don't be stupid," scolded the chief engineer of the RAD section. "If they don't have equipment that can reliably help them, you might as well be sending them to an early death."

"But there's not enough time, and we're about to reach the budget limit for the Sentinel System… The development of the Hero System can't be delayed any longer, chief…!"

The priestess exasperated. She supposed that having enthusiastic co-workers was a great way to alleviate some of the tensions.

However, she couldn't help but feel that the future was as bleak as always.

 _Nevertheless…_ The woman looked around the new apparatus brought over for the sake of the current field experiment. _As I thought, this sort of development speed is abnormal._

The level of sorcery implemented in this experiment was on an entirely different magnitude. Not even Taisha who had cooperated with the Land Gods for the past three centuries could create such things. Of course, it was partially because the previous heads possessed an immense distaste over cooperation with the non-human Factions inhabiting the land as well as a strange distrust of modern technology.

The priestess couldn't deny that there were so much lost opportunities for having such a close-minded worldview.

The woman glanced to the side. There he was, standing idly with his arms crossed.

His broad shoulders and immense height gave off a menacing impression, but even more than that was how the foreign-looking man had his stern gaze glued to the live feed in front of the group of priests and priestesses.

"...How is it?" The black-winged man asked, not even bothering to give the priestess a glance in her direction. "I expect there is nothing to complain about with the things we have offered?"

The priestess did not take long to bow down her head.

"It is more than enough," she reported. "The newly developed ward is strong enough to hide the presence of Hyoudou-sama, and we are receiving immense data to develop the Hero System as a whole. As per the agreement, Taisha will increase the funding needed for your Faction's research over Sacred Gears."

"…Is that so." The high-ranked Fallen Angel grunted.

Despite having known that his group's efforts would be rewarded generously, he did not show much response. That was fine, the priestess believed. In the first place, Taisha was never close to the other Factions cohabiting in this small cradle.

Though it had been acting as a substitute government, the exposed truths hidden from the massed caused Taisha to lose popularity and trust. A few more years would be the limit before the people demanded the organization to reform itself if not dissolve as a way to take responsibility. As far as the others were concerned, the older members who kept on staying in Taisha were just scapegoats as a new wave full of opportunists gradually subsuming the organization from bottom-to-top; just like leeches drawing blood from the feet of the creature they latched onto.

 _Despite having no love for this organization, it is still difficult to make much progress like this._

Just as she mulled about, the enormous presence standing nearby moving. The priestess lifted her head, and she found the Watcher's lips twisted into a scowl. Before she could raise a question, the burly man took away the initiative, speaking aloud his thoughts without a care.

"Why," he said. "Why do they keep on fighting? Even though they are given the choice to avoid the worst case scenario, there's no reason for them to keep on risking their lives."

The priestess blinked. She was not even sure where to start upon hearing such question. Looking back to the magical panel in front of them, comprehension dawned unto her, yet she could not easily come up with an answer that would please the Fallen next to her. Was it not obvious to him, or was he testing her? For a being who was as old as mankind's history, didn't he know the most about what the people… what the race of man was infamous for?

But as time trickled by…

"…I do not have the right to assume things," the priestess muttered out. "But… even when offered with the choice to live a normal life, they will still do the same, they will still choose to fight. They…"

Yes. That was right. Just like _that girl_ , and just like _her_ friends…

"Those children are fighting for their own sake… and for everything they wish to protect."

Not because other people told them to. Not because fervent gratitude and respect of everyone would reward their sacrifices and efforts. The children who tried to live their life to the fullest even in this turbulent time…

They merely wished for their daily lives to continue, forever and ever.


	11. Chapter 10 - Red and White Scales

A pillar of water erupted in the middle of the lake.

As the pillar scattered drops of water like a summer shower, four green-clothed girls dashed out and landed on the shores of the lake. They all trained their gazes with their guns and shields at the ready.

"Did we do it?" Miroku Yumiko asked as she readjusted her posture. "Concentrated attack should have incurred great damage even against such a being."

"I felt some resistance when I hit him," from nearby, Yamabushi Shizuku muttered. Even so, her expressionless face sported nothing but an infuriated scowl. " _Some_. Like hell the bastard would go down so easily. Get ready for some shitty surprise gift."

While the third person in the group looked like she was about to cry at any moment, the girl with a slightly modified battle uniform raised her chin and nodded in agreement. Mebuki had to agree with Shizuku – there was no way measly attacks like that could defeat a dragon.

 _That naïve, conceited, arrogant piece of garbage wouldn't—_

Mebuki felt a chill running down her spine, but Suzume who was close by leaped backward a second faster than her. Mebuki who sensed the same sensation followed and shouted out for the rest of the group to retreat. Her command barely saved them as a green ray of light swept past the surface of the lake from side-to-side.

The earth erupted with terrible noise. Water evaporated, slabs of blackened stones were overturned as the ray of light vanished into the woods before it exploded into a hemispherical explosion. Hot winds spread wide as the lake water showered down after it was tossed into the sky.

Mebuki glowered. She landed on the graveled ground which had been turned into a wasteland, but the moment she blinked, a dragon clad in blazing red armor suddenly appeared right before her, his arm cocked back as if nocking an arrow.

 _Shi—!_

"WaaaaaaaaaAAAAHHH!"

Barreling in like a battering ram, her ally Suzume interrupted by charging in with her tower shield. The armored dragon executed a split-second evasion, planting his feet and jumping over Mebuki and using his boosters to distance himself from the barrages of bullets fired by the other Sentinels. However, the brunette saw it.

"That hit him…!?"

"Just a bit," admitted the dragon who stood a few hundred meters away from the regrouping Sentinels. He straightened his back and turned his head to look at his right shoulder – and indeed there was a dent in his right shoulder guard. "I guess that's a passing grade, though saying that… Kagajou-san."

Called like that, Suzume who had saved Mebuki tensed up. She was never a person who could stand up for herself but disregarding that, Mebuki reloaded her bayonet rifle. _Something's up with him, what is he going to…_

The beast's emerald eyes shone, and he raised his hand to perform a little gesture. Mebuki's eyes widened in terror, and her body moved faster than her thoughts, her bayonet swinging to blast Suzume's shield to the sky. The girl shrieked in shock, but that wasn't—

 _"Dress Break."_

Suddenly, a magic diagram expanded on the surface of the shield. Mebuki and her group froze over as they saw the spinning equipment disassembling itself for some diabolic reasons. The shield's fragmented parts rained down, turning into fading flakes of light.

 _…This…_

With the size of that diagram, it could have captured Suzume as well. Had she kept on holding the shield… wouldn't that result in a terrible disaster?

 _This guy…!_

Something snapped inside Mebuki's head.

"You dastardly leeeeeeccchhh!"

Bullets of light rapidly burst out from the barrel of her rifle faster than sound, but the lecherous dragon merely _laughed_ as he dodged the bullets with total ease.

* * *

"Why am I reminded of Azazel now….?"

Rubbing his chin, Barakiel furrowed his eyebrows at the antics of the current Host of the Red Dragon Emperor. As always, he felt a cold chill running down his back once he recognized the shape of that scale mail. It could even be said that some of his old wounds ached, as this wasn't the first or the second time he ever witnessed the might of the Heavenly Dragon Ddraig.

Near him, the priestess hiding her own identity with a crude mask lowered her head. She must have overheard his murmuring, but his statement wasn't meant to insult the boy.

"This youth… his name is Hyoudou Issei, right?"

Shaken from her stupor, the priestess lifted her head. "Huh? A-ah, yes… Indeed, that is his name, yes."

Barakiel nodded. He wasn't wrong, so he let his train of thoughts running. The boy had no remarkable background, born in a normal household with loving parents. His behavior was quite something, but his lax upbringing might have something to do with it. Since he was an only child he would, of course, be doted on by his parents, though the way they decided to involve themselves with the affair of the current world was baffling in its own way.

 _…Now that I think about it, he's only a year younger than Akeno…_

So young. Almost too young, even. Only legendary figures born throughout history would live an irregular life with extreme violence like this. Heroes, demigods, monsters, divine and demonic beings, everything in-between and those outside of the realm of common sense… Even more than that, this former human boy was burdened with the weight of an entire world and a great power capable of consuming his existence.

 _…Am I growing too soft?_

Barakiel felt the past flashing in his mind. The comfort of home, the warm smiles waiting for him, the laughter of his dearest one, the touch of his baby daughter – enough of this, you fool.

Shaking his head, Barakiel resumed observing the live footage floating in front of him. That was right, nothing could be done. The past only existed in the past. It didn't belong in the present, and there was no reason for him to reminisce in the middle of an important mission.

 _There's nothing I can take back…_

Heaving a sigh, the Fallen Angel tried to readjust his composure. But because of that, he didn't realize a presence he should have kept a lookout for as it infiltrated the local security wards—

* * *

Issei heard gunshots ringing and moved his boosters to dodge the Sentinels' bullets.

Faster. Even faster. Even faster and unpredictable, he moved through the ruined land. Though he felt it was wasteful, this entire place was not real. Anything that happened here would not reflect on reality unlike Jukai, and as far as Issei could tell, the experiment could be labeled a great success.

 _With this, we won't have to worry about collateral damages or civilian casualty in future battles._

"Where are you looking!?"

Issei blinked. He flipped to the side, committing a barrel roll evasion. A tower shield grazed his side from below as he recognized the bleached hair of one Yamabushi Shizuku.

"Nice try!" Issei grabbed the tower shield, pulled it together with the bearer and threw them to the ground. He immediately bounced off in midair to give a chase. "Can you stop this then!?"

As Shizuku braced for the inevitable impact, a bullet flashed by in the space between the two. Issei flapped his wings, veering away and turned his head to the direction the bullet came from. There she was, a Sentinel standing behind a fallen tree for cover.

While she had no modified visor that indicated her status as a mere infantry, the girl who wore the sniping lens had a distinct figure which looked conspicuous.

[Charge complete,] Ddraig notified. [Break out some hell, partner.]

Issei nodded, raised his right hand as he glided across the gravels surrounding the lake and formed a glowing green energy ball on his palm. He didn't waste time as he aimed it at the sniper's position and punched the sphere to fire a ray of energy that cut a straight line through the lake in seconds.

A hemispherical explosion engulfed the forest. Heated air stormed outward, spreading in all directions while the bright red color burned into his reinforced eyes. Despite the sound and tremors that shook the sky and the earth, Issei maintained vigilance as he spread his senses as far as he could.

"Well, now this is a surprise…" Issei looked over as the fire and smokes died down. He saw a black monolith standing a few meters away from ground zero, and he recognized the crumbling shape as a tower shield. "So, it looks like the equipment can withstand a low-powered Dragon Shot…"

He heard a shrill gasp. It was accompanied by a whimper, and as the tower shield fell forward, the trembling figure of Suzume could be seen. Her combat uniform was battered and sung at various places, and her eyes glittered with tears as her teeth chattered together.

 _Both of them are still alive…?_

"B-b-b-bwaaaaah!? That wasn't even a full-power attack!?" The shielder who had lost her shield cried out.

Issei crossed his arms in a huff. Of course, it was low-powered. In Balance Breaker state, that thing could blow up several mountains at once. As if he would unleash that sort of firepower when no one knew the maximum limits of Shinju's divine protection—

[Partner.]

Issei swayed to the side. A bayonet fell upon the space he was once at and cleaved through the rocks all the way to the ground. The swing itself produced some winds but Issei ignored that in order to counter the sneak attack, but he was unsuccessful as the attacker dodged with haste. He stepped forward, swung his left fist that detonated air in front of him, sidestepped to the side, lowered his hips as he took up a stance with his arms shielding his head and chest, and punched as the bayonet-user thrust back with wild abandon.

"Gh…!" The attacker grunted. Her bayonet-rifle and arms trembled as she blocked a counterattack, but the Sentinel pushed back as if refusing to admit defeat. "RaaaaAAAAAAAHH!"

Issei blinked upon hearing the wild voice. This isn't Mebu—

As he felt a sudden goosebump coursing down his body, the youth glanced behind. He saw Yumiko's gun trained at him, and he looked up, catching a large shadow falling upon him in the form of a Sentinel with a custom visor and a bayonet pointing at his head.

And then—

* * *

Miroku Yumiko's aim was true.

As a proud member of the Miroku family, she had no doubt that she had succeeded. The plan crafted with everyone's efforts was not perfect nor did it suit her aesthetic, but when nothing went right, one must be able to adapt to the situation. That was why, as her nearest ally drew the attention of the Heavenly Dragon, Shizuku and Yumiko were to assist Mebuki by pinning him down in place.

Pulling the trigger, the rifle in her arms shuddered. Bright light flashed in front of the muzzle, blinding her vision for a moment as white and red dissipated in the next moment. The bullet flew after absorbing both her strength and the divine blessing granted by the Shinju, and it reached its intended target in no time at all.

Despite that, the dragon twisted. He turned his back against her – and suddenly a pair of giant wings sprouted out of the armor covering his back.

Yumiko's horrified gasp was muffled by the pale wing membranes that swatted aside both Shizuku and the bullet, and when they flapped, a terrible gust of wind blew both Mebuki as well as the Heavenly Dragon up.

"No way…!?" Suzume shrieked, unable to grasp the absurd move taken by their opponent.

Yumiko had to agree, but there was no time to waste. Pulling the lever on her gun, the empty bullet casing was thrown out of the rifle's bullet chamber. Yumiko rushed ahead and pulled Suzume by the arm as she shouted, "Mebuki-san, the plan failed! Retreat—!"

"That'd be troublesome…!"

Yumiko nearly choked. The beast said to possess strength equal to the conglomeration of this land's gods turned his gaze toward her. The blood-red armor and the shining glow of the emerald jewels delivered a bone-chilling terror down her spine, and she could see a film of red light covering the armored dragon.

 _That crushing aura… he is attacking again!_

Yumiko had to warn Mebuki, but the distance was too far apart, and both the Sentinel and the Red Dragon Emperor could fight in a realm exceeding sound. But a lack of trying didn't suit a person of her standing, so the girl aimed her gun—

 _…Eh?_

* * *

Issei did not transfix his gaze at the descending Mebuki.

He looked beyond her, narrowed his eyes, and changed his priority. As he clawed the grounds, his hips lowered, and his upper body twisted to the right as he drew his right arm as far back as possible. The space he created allowed the rifle-bayonet to fall and the moment Mebuki was in range – the youth snatched her from the sky.

"Wha…!?" The Sentinel cried out, understanding nothing as he leaped to the side with her being carried like a sack of potatoes. "What are you—!?"

Her protest died down with the arrival of a blue pillar of light shooting down from the heavens. Together with a great roar outrivaling thunderclaps, a hemispherical explosion detonated the air, pulverized the stones-covered grounds into smithereens, and released a maelstrom of hot winds throughout the sealed forest.

Issei didn't care about whatever curse Mebuki had shouted out. Getting overwhelmed by a sudden change in the battlefield wasn't something he could allow, especially when an uninvited guest popped up so brazenly like this.

Maneuvering around with his wings, he landed close to Yumiko, Suzume, and the regrouping Shizuku. All of them were dazed by the chain of events happening before them, but first, Issei put down Mebuki. The brunette gave a dirty glare at him, but instead of throwing insults like usual, she looked up and fixated her attention to the sky.

"Most impressive," said the attacker clad in white floating in the sky. "Even though you played around most of the time, that last move was a surprise even for me. As expected of my destined rival."

White armors that looked almost like Issei's Boosted Gear Scale Mail, eight wings emitting dust of light with similar color, a pair of stone cold blue eyes oozing with calm bloodlust… And a silhouette heavily referencing the figure of a great dragon.

Issei felt something stirred deep inside him. It was his heart, but it wasn't only that. Something deeper… something that hadn't shown any sign for these whole three years had suddenly reacted at seeing the armored humanoid dragon in the sky. _It can't be—?_

[Oh, so that's why I've been feeling there's something off in the past few years,] Ddraig suddenly spoke out. Issei felt all eyes gathered on him, so… did Ddraig just use something like mass telepathy to show off his opinions? [Not a bad guess, but never mind that, partner. Do you want to know what that thing above is?]

As the green jewels of his armors flashed about, the blue jewels adorning the intruder's armors did the same. The more he looked at the figure, the more he felt a sense of affinity – a sense of uncanny familiarity.

[It sure has been a long time,] a calm and detached voice echoed out from the white figure. [Who would have thought you'd appear after three hundred years has passed, Red One.]

[Shut it,] Ddraig retorted. [I still have some grudges over the 'last time', White One. Well, I never expected you to get that sort of Host this time either. I honestly would have wanted to punch 'that one bastard.']

[Same goes for you, Ddraig. Do you even know what you've become, now?]

His partner sneered in amusement. [I am getting closer to the Infinity. What else is there to say, Albion?]

 _Red… White…? Infinity? Albion…?_

"Wait…" Issei raised his left arm and stared at the jewel on the back of his left hand. "Is that… is that who I think it is?"

Ddraig answered his question with a laughter.

[Aah. That's the guy who got sealed at the same time as me,] the red dragon said. [My eternal rival and bitter enemy. An equal bearing the same title, now sealed inside the Longinus-class Sacred Gear Divine Dividing – Vanishing Dragon, Albion.]


	12. Chapter 11 - White Scale Under the Moon

"Sorry, we're cutting the training here."

Issei could sense the outrage from miles away, but that didn't stop him from feeling annoyed. Both Mebuki and Shizuku glared at him like rabid beasts while Suzume couldn't take her eyes off the white dragon floating down from the sky; she must have fainted while standing. He felt like he's forgetting something else, but it must have been unimportant if he didn't remember it at this time.

Issei narrowed his eyes. _Looks like he's not here to fight, huh?_

[Probably. If he's faking it, he's a natural-born liar like that pompous self-proclaimed royalty,] Ddraig snorted. [Oy, Albion. What do you want here?]

At the all-reaching and blunt question, Issei and Ddraig received their answer from an unexpected source.

"Welsh Dragon Ddraig." The white mask of the Vanishing Dragon's Host's headgear slid open, revealing the handsome face of a golden-eyed young man. He was probably several years older than Issei and his peers. "I was stuck with a boring escort mission, but then I got interested by this barrier, and I saw _you_ in the live footage."

Just as the man looked up, the white plated armors covering his body dissipated into motes of light. Taking that as his cue, Issei deactivated his Balance Breaker state, but not his Boosted Gear's default state; as if he could disarm himself when the uninvited guests was totally out of his league. For all he knew, this might be a trick to weaken his situational awareness...

"So that is your Sacred Gear's default form?" The silver-haired and golden-eyed handsome bastard smirked. "I see, a different awakening, and then a different path of evolution. I thought of giving a simple greeting, but you're showing off things that make me want to fight you here and now."

...Crap, he accidentally poured oil into the fire.

Issei didn't show it on his face, but he was sure as hell sweating bullets. How could he not? The way this guy smirked pissed him off and terrified him at the same time. _Or rather, what is he staring at!?_

[A battle-junkie huh…] Ddraig suppressed a laugh. [Here I thought only I was in luck for having a dragon-like Host.]

 _That doesn't sound comforting at all, you know that?_

Issei sighed deeply in his mind. He couldn't afford to lose his cool, and it had become impossible to ignore Ddraig's words now. Looking back at the guy, Issei had to admit that aside from his pretty face that could be passed off as a baby-face, the silver-haired bastard must be a Host that was like the being sealed inside his Sacred Gear – chosen by a dragon, and living like a dragon.

 _...He's dangerous._

Just as he thought of that, Issei noticed a sudden change in the battlefield. He looked up while the silver-haired guy did the same, the two of them sensing the wards placed around the forest deactivating. The Host of Divine Dividing snorted as a strong presence descended from the sky, black feathers scattering as he landed in-between the two.

"That's enough," said a tall-statured man with an extremely rough face. " _Vali_ , you're taking your selfishness too far!"

 _Huh, so his name's Vali…_

"I couldn't care less," Vali replied, not even looking intimidated by the scary-looking Fallen. "Well, I've already lost interest in staying here anyway. But before that…"

Issei tensed up. He leveled a glare at the older youth, but he looked amused more than anything. What the hell—

"Sekiryuutei," the guy called out. "Keep on becoming stronger. Otherwise, this messed up world will be even more boring."

In the next instance, the wings of light Issei had seen earlier expanded from behind Vali's back. And just like that, the guy flew away, vanishing into the sky as a streak of blue light.

* * *

"I'm home…"

Right after stepping into the Ninomaru Palace from the front entrance, Issei announced his presence. The one going out to greet him back was his senior, but she was still dressed in her school uniform… Did she just return?

"Welcome back," Fuu said, paused, and then tilted her head. She stared at the people following behind Issei. "…Guests?"

"Something like that…" Issei averted his gaze. Fuu didn't seem to buy it, judging from her twitching lips.

She must have sensed the strange atmosphere surrounding him, but she didn't say anything besides letting the guests enter. Issei expelled out a suffering sigh.

After that fiasco, the training and field experiment had to be stopped out of emergency. The Sentinels couldn't accept the outcome, but it wasn't like Issei could do anything about it. He gave his commentary about the things they could improve upon, and then talked with the giant of a Fallen Angel that looked like he had been living on the battlefields for most of his life. He kind of remembered him as a follower of his 'teacher'… Barakiel, was it?

Anyway, the situation had escalated too much. He returned to Nijo Castle and here they were, both the residents of the palace and the guests gathered together in the reception room – Shikidai no Mai. There were about five people with him with Fuu sitting at the receiving side of the rectangular table, Barakiel at the guest's side, and Aki as well as Yasaka acting as the third party on the scene.

"…Please explain." Issei prompted.

The Fallen Angel sitting with perfect formal posture drew intense scrutiny from everyone. His shoulders had stopped stiffening but it was subtle, not showing any gaps that could be used against him. Was this the difference between a human and a nonhuman? Or was this the difference between a mortal and a being that had been around ever since the dawn of creation?

[That's just because you're still inexperienced,] Ddraig chided. [While it's true that you're just a hatchling if compared to this crow, that fox or the White One, you can still close the gap with enough time, effort, and willingness to improve.]

 _…Does that mean…_

[Anything can be beaten as long as you don't give up,] his partner stated out. [Even if the opponent is a Fallen Angel, a Deva, an Archangel, Satan, or even the almighty God. That's how it's always been for me, so you better get up and wring yourself dry.]

Well, now… wasn't that a pleasant encouragement? Issei laughed internally and faced Barakiel once again.

"…Setting aside that bastard's sudden interruption…" Issei ignored the dirty look given by his senior and continued, "I've heard of a trump card owned by Grigori for a while now, but is it seriously that guy? Why didn't you tell any of us?"

Taisha and Kyoto Youkai were allied with Grigori as of now. It was ridiculous for one of them to hide something as big as a Heavenly Dragon for as long as this. After all, dragons were things many feared, and a Heavenly Dragon was fully capable of killing gods and burning the world to ashes. A single mistake could have wiped out the whole country in a single night.

Barakiel took the questioning gazes from Yasaka and Issei with a stoic face. He didn't give off much reactions at first, but he closed his eyes and expelled a large sigh; his eyebrows wrinkled down as he opened his mouth.

"It's not my place to say this, but that one… Vali doesn't care about the alliance in the slightest."

"…What do you mean by that?" Fuu asked, baffled by the way the Fallen Angel worded it.

"Well," Barakiel paused. "He is, so to speak, a kid Azazel picked up personally. However, he has zero interest in anything other than his own goal. If there's a reason why he bothered to appear like that, it would be because of…"

[Us,] Ddraig finished. [Whether it was because of entwined karma, destiny or some third-party interference, it's inevitable for the two Heavenly Dragons to seek each other out. There are times where we don't encounter each other, and there are also times where we meet by some diabolical coincidence. But whatever the circumstance, should we ever meet…]

"There's no way to avoid mass destruction." Barakiel sighed. "It's a miracle that you didn't provoke him. Vali is a handful, but it's easy to make him lose interest as long as you picked your words and actions with a clear mind."

 _Well, if it's about that…_ Issei knew all too well that Vali was out of his league.

He _could_ reach his level, no doubt about that, but that didn't mean he was so foolish to ignore the dreadful presence that person had. It was terrifying how he had appeared out of nowhere and attacking like that. The guy didn't seem like he was breaking a sweat, and his aura rivaled even Issei's Sub-species Balance Breaker state's.

 _And I feel like that guy still has more tricks under his sleeves._

Honestly, Issei wondered why Mebuki and the others didn't notice anything at all. Was the difference of strength so far apart that they couldn't even tell, or was it because Heroes and Hero Candidates were born with adamantium nerves?

 _Probably the latter…_

"In any case, on behalf of Grigori, we apologize for not disclosing this fact." Barakiel dipped his head as he bowed down in front of Issei. "There will be compensations, of course. The details will have to wait but we promise it will not take long."

 _Ah, that's…_

"I understand," Aki preemptively replied, the priestess placing a hand on her chest as she respectfully nodded at Barakiel. "Taisha will mediate between the Yasaka Shrine and Grigori. Rest assured, this will not change your position in the alliance, Barakiel-sama. Is this alright for you, Yasaka-sama?"

Turning her head to the direction of the nine-tailed fox youkai, the woman curled her lips downward and raised her paper fan.

"That should suffice," she said. "After all, no one is hurt, and nothing of importance is broken. I do not wish to reduce our battle potential in this precarious time, after all."

"We are grateful for your kindness." Aki lowered her head in thanks.

Yasaka giggled and waved her fan, saying 'This is nothing special' without changing her expression. As Barakiel left the palace, Aki too left to make the arrangements she had promised, and as the day grew darker…

"Truly, I am living in interesting times." Yasaka huffed, giving off a soft smile.

"Err… I'm sorry?" Issei scratched the back of his head.

"No no, this is not your fault." Yasaka chuckled and waved her fan. "You are merely doing your job. This type of matter tends to be beyond control. Do remember, events like this are bound to happen from time to time."

 _Well… I can't deny that…_

Staring at him, Yasaka's smile warmed. The voluptuous woman placed a hand on Issei's shoulder and the youth squeaked. _Boobs! Close! Boobs! Yay—!_

"It is fine to relax." The head of the Kyoto Youkai Faction gently lowered her eyelids. "You are a dragon now, but you are still a boy with not even half the amount of experience we non-human races have. It is your right to work hard for your dream, but don't forget to rest, think for yourself, and enjoy life together with your loved ones. _There is still enough time for that._ "

Issei widened his eyes. How did she—!?

The youth felt his shoulder tapped, and he looked up at Yasaka who was looking past him. But when he realized the cue, he looked back… and there he found Fuu staring intently from inside the palace.

"…Uh."

The fox woman laughed. Taking several steps back, the youkai made her way out of the palace, folding out her fan so as to hide her lips from being seen. Then, as she turned around with a sway of her hips, black-winged people with beaks and strange red accessory on their foreheads descended down as if escorting her.

"Well then," Yasaka said. Giving both him and Fuu with a glance over the shoulder, the woman nodded down and departed. "Take care, Sekiryuutei-kun."

* * *

"Eehh?! There's another person like Issei-kun?!"

Late evening, all of the palace's occupants had returned. Gathered together at the dining hall, Issei could tell that he was in heaven because both sides of the table were filled with the girls he had fallen in love with. Even the content for dinner was luxurious, courtesy of Tougou and Fuu who had cooperated together in the kitchen.

Of course, Yuuna was the one who shouted in shock for not being around when the debacles had happened.

"Yuuna-chan." Tougou called out with a stiff smile on her face. Her advice was heard and the resident redhead settled back on her seat as her cheeks flushed in cherry red color.

Though saying that, he could understand her reaction. It was one thing to meet the – supposedly – fated rival you have never known beforehand, and it was another to hear about such an event after it had more or less been settled. It made those not present at the time feel like they have missed a lot of important events.

"I don't think it's a cause for celebration…" Issei grumbled in-between shoveling rice and side-dish into his mouth. "I mean… he acted all cheeky and said some weird stuff. The heck is this 'destined rival' stuff? I don't remember picking a fight with that sort of creepy guy."

"But you wouldn't mind punching him in the face if there's an opportunity, right?" Fuu quipped, pointing out with a nudge.

Issei promptly ignored her. There was no reason to answer the obvious, but his silence was interpreted correctly by all of his friends; all of them showing bitter smiles and slight annoyances at his irrational hatred of handsome men.

"How petty can you be…" Karin exasperated. "Well, anyway. If the problem's been dealt with, there's nothing to worry about, is there?"

"Maybe?" Issei shook his head. "I'll have to confirm it when there's news about it, but everyone should at least be cautious when you're all alone. Don't forget to keep your Fairies around, girls."

After saying that, he planted his chopsticks into the rice bowl on his hand. Much to his surprise, he fished out nothing, and Issei looked down – finding a plush-like cow with a round tummy on his table. What had happened to his dinner?

"...Ah." Yuuna muttered out.

Everyone went silent, including Sonoko who would normally give a random commentary at anything she found 'interesting'. But as for the primary victim of the demonic cow's gluttonous habits…

"I guess I'll practice my fire-breathing technique on you." Issei smiled brightly.

"Waaaaaaaahhh! Don't! You can't do that, Issei-kun! Calm down!"

While Yuuna tried to stop a tragedy from happening, the damned white cow had the gall to burp in pure bliss.

* * *

Above the clouds, the blood red moon shone down on the world.

These days, he tended to look up, marveling at the rare sight caused by the battle three years prior. He wasn't around when that happened, what a shame it was to miss a once-in-a-lifetime event like that. Still, he had gained many clues and now he was given the opportunity to pursue two of the things he was most curious about in life.

[Why didn't you fight him?] The back of his right hand flashed blue. [Vali, you're the most talented of all Hosts I've ever had the pleasure of fighting together with. Balance Breaker and Juggernaut Drive… it is clear that without foreign influence affecting your growth, you are definitely the strongest Hakuryuukou throughout history, but you don't have any interest in fighting the Sekiryuutei for real.]

The silver-haired man smiled. His shadow cast on the surface of the sea of white, he looked down as if staring at a reflection in the mirror.

"What do you think?" Vali asked.

[You don't believe you can win.] Albion remarked.

"Hah," he laughed, not even irritated by how little trust was put in him. "To tell the truth, I just wanted to mess around with that guy."

After blowing through some clouds that had the gall of obstructing his way, Albion responded by giving a long exasperated sigh.

[You are insufferable,] the dragon grumbled. [Out of all things, you picked up the worst habits of that strange witch and governor.]

Now _that_ was uncalled for. But never mind that for now.

"Well," Vali said, his voice the epitome of calmness. Despite that, he knew that he couldn't suppress all of his excitement; he was living an interesting life completely unlike his foolish, cowardly father. "I am strong, and he is also strong despite the path he chose to take. But the current Sekiryuutei wants to kill any and all gods opposing him, his ambition is so much larger than mine."

Albion was rather surprised by the words of his host. [So you admit that your own ambition is small. But Vali…]

 _I know_ , Vali thought. The White Dragon Emperor turned silent at his words. A few seconds passed, and the youth could see no city light below the clouds; he decelerated until he came to a stop above a massive pitch-black body of water.

"There it is," Vali muttered, staring at an island surrounded by the dark sea. A semblance of pure black line – a colossal wall made of tree roots – could be seen at the corner of his vision. "So this is the island… hmm, I can feel an enormous presence in it."

It seemed inactive, oddly. He had heard of it before, but he found it baffling for an existence as large as that to lay low to the point of never interacting with the local non-human races. For the past three hundred years, it had stayed immobile, speaking through dreams and telegraphing messages to the mouths of human priestesses.

Was it conserving its energy? But for what?

[...The thing is running out of power,] Albion answered. [Tirelessly defending and managing an artificial world as stable as this requires immense power at the level of a greater divine being in their prime. As the planet is no longer able to sustain a self-repairing environment friendly to mortals, it created new leylines that function like actual tree roots. I believe it will take _no less than three years_ before it depleted its final energy reserves.]

 _Indeed, that's the only way to explain why it stayed low-profile..._

Vali weighed his options. He couldn't afford to waste time, but his movements were monitored. After meeting the Red One, he sensed some feeble presences observing from afar, lurking with poorly prepared disguise that could easily be identified if even one of them became careless.

The amateur Fallen Angel quartet could watch all they want. It wasn't like they could match his speed.

"Hmm…" Vali pressed a hand on his chin. "I'd like to meet this Visitor from Afar, but it doesn't seem like he's in a situation where I can just go up and meet him without inviting troubles."

 _Well, even some troubles would be exciting, too bad I'm pressed on time._

[...Vali, what are you planning?]

The current White Dragon Emperor laughed at his partner's question.

"I am Vali Lucifer. As a descendant of the Son of Morning Star, isn't it obvious that I must ensure the death of my detestable grandfather?"


End file.
